And you call me the Airhead?
by AccendoAnimus
Summary: A spark is all that takes to start a fire. Somewhere deep within his soul, a blaze began to burn. And it burned brighter than anyone ever expected of him. Kyo begins to believe that maybe, he can decide his own life if he tries his hardest; if he has her.
1. Darkness

Hey there, this is my first publishing. I've been inlove with Fruits Basket for a while, and a story just came to mind and I couldn't get it out. So here is part of it. : )

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><p>He first became aware of a soft thumping sound coming from above him. The next was the darkness. He sat in a shroud of darkness, unable to move. It felt as though he was bound by a rope, restricting his movement. Disorientated, he tries to rise, but to no avail, his body will not rise more than a few inches.<p>

_He doesn't remember how he got here_

_He doesn't even know where **here **is_

Panicking, he tries to move his body, what little moves, moves sluggishly. Like his own arm is fighting his will.

_Am I drunk? _He asks himself. _No, I haven't been drunk since I was up in the mountains with my master. My body must have been drugged, because I can still think clearly. Who would drug me though? I'm of no importance to anyone. Well, maybe to one person…_

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps. _It must be my kidnapper. _He concludes. The sound of a door opening, more footsteps, the sound of moving fabric, and then a dull light begins to shine.

"Kyo-kun? Are you awake yet? It's midday. Breakfast has gone cold, but I shall be making lunch shortly. I know the rain makes you tired, but you asked me to help you with your history project today. So wakey-wakey! Greet the new day!"

She turns from the window, and sees that he is still under the covers, not moving. Sighing to herself, she walks over to wake up the sleeping boy. Kneeling on the ground, she pulls the blankets from his face. She glances at him, and becomes alarmed. She puts her hand to his body. Then jumps up and runs from the room in search of help. And that was the last thing he remembered before he fell into a dreamless sleep.

_His body nearly burned my hand. No wonder he isn't up yet! Why didn't he call for help sooner? Why didn't I go check on him earlier! This is my entire fault! Where can I get help! _ She thinks as she runs down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Shigure! Someone!"

Upon hearing his name, the dog's ears seemed to perk up, which is strange, because he was in his human form. He got up from his study and bounded toward the voice calling him.

"Yeeeeeeees, my little flower?" He coons.

At another time, Tohru would have smiled as his silliness. He reminded her of a young puppy, jumping up and greeting you from your day out of the house. But she was not grinning.

"It's Kyo-Kun! He's in his cat form and is burning up! I saw his eyes open and look at me, but they were dazed and couldn't focus on anything! I know the rain makes him weak, but its never been so bad that he changes forms!"

The grin then dropped from Shigure's face. In a split second, the boy changed into a man. He walked over to his phone.

"Hatori? It's happened again. "And with that he hung up and ran up stairs to Kyo's room. Confused, Tohru followed behind him.

" I need you to get me a bucket of ice water, two towels, and the soup from last night warmed up for him to eat." He ordered her. After getting everything he requested, Hatori came into the room. He looked like he had just been sprinting.

"How long has he been like this?" He asked Tohru, not in his monotone voice but in a voice with an edge of panic in it.

"Um, I saw him last night before bed and he seemed fine, so sometime in the night. He's okay though right! It's just a cold right?"

"No, Tohru, it looks much worse than that to me." And on that note, Shigure shuffled her out of the room.

_Oh Kyo. Please be okay. Please…_

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><p><em>R&amp;R please :)<br>_


	2. Dream Land

Yay! Two in one night. I think this will be a long story :s

-Im here to Enkindle Courage :)

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><p>"Hatori? He's gunna get better right? Like last time?" Yuki asked, genuinely concerned. But no one was extremely surprised about the question.<p>

After the night that he had seen his cousin's true form, Yuki has made an attempt to understand Kyo. They have fought less, but still can't call themselves friends. But everyone, especially Tohru is pleased by this development. Kyo still tries to anger Yuki, and Yuki will sometimes rise to the challenge. But the number of times fist come out has dropped dramatically.

"I hope so. Last time he nearly died. And this time, the symptoms are all worse. It will be harder for him to get out this time. Only he can save himself."

Tohru was still outside the door, not allowed to come in. But she could hear most of what they said. _Kyo please be okay. Mom, help him. Please. I'm scared. I can't lose him, please mom. I care about him so much. I don't know what I'll do if I lose another person. First dad, then you, please don't let him be next. I don't know if I can take another lose. Please make him better. _

The house was quiet, save for the whispering coming from Kyo's room. But in Kyo's mind? That's a different story.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Said Kyo as he sat up in his bed. He looked around, clearly not remembering what had happened a while ago. _I wonder if Tohru has made breakfast yet. _He walked down stairs to find the kitchen empty. _Maybe she slept over at her friend's house? _He wondered as he pulled out some of the leftovers from the fridge. _I wonder where that damn Rat is. He's usually up and about at this time, and where's Shigure? Did they all go somewhere without me? Well I am the damn Cat. I don't really belong with other people anyway. _Kyo's mood had turned from confused to depressed as he ate his breakfast. After he cleaned his plate, he headed up to the roof to clear his head. But for some reason, he couldn't shake the thoughts of his worthlessness from his mind. _No one cares about me. Even Tohru wants to be with that damn Yuki over me. And Kagura is just delusional. She just feels sorry for me. _His mood became worse and worse. The sky became clouded over. _Huh, I should go inside before it rains. _

He climbed down from the roof and wandered into his room and laid down in bed. _No one is home yet! Maybe they really don't care about me. Everyone's life would be better if I wasn't here. If I had never been born! Mom would still be alive…._ And with that thought Kyo felt tears well up in his eyes. It began to rain and get darker out. Kyo got up to go get a book to read, to get his mind off such morbid thoughts. He didn't have any books in his room that he hadn't read, so he went into Tohru's room and decided to pick a book from their. But his eye was caught by a photo album. He decided he would look at it. _Maybe it has a picture in here of her when she was a kid! Or a picture of Yuki I can hold against him! _Smiling slightly, he took the book into his room and turned to the first page.

The first picture was of her tent, after the landslide. Then there seemed to be something like a diary entry under it:

**I would have been under that slide too, if the Sohma's hadn't taken me in. I'm so grateful to them. So much had happened in the few days after that. I learned about the Sohma family curse and met Shigure and Kyo, and I've became closer with Yuki. Kyo had broken through the roof and I accidentally hugged him, turning him into a cat. I thought it was my fault! And then I accidentally -**

She then continued to tell the rest of the events of the day, how she found out what animals we all were and such. She then wrote something just about Kyo.

**Kyo doesn't seem to like me much, mom. But I really want to get to know him! I swear that one day, Kyo and I will be very best friends! **

A smile tugged at his lips. She had tried very had since that day to understand him and learn about him. _She came back even though I yelled at her, even though I continue to get cross with her, she always comes back. _The rain started to lighten up outside.

The next picture he found was of the night she came up on the roof with him and showed him her 'moves' and punched him in the arm. The entry read:

**Oh mom, Kyo is such a good person. Even though Yuki and Shigure are very nice to me, I'm extremely drawn to Kyo. He's so interesting; I just want to learn more and more from him. He doesn't show it often, but he's a good person. Maybe he's been hurt really bad in the past and doesn't want to open up to people? Well, Tohru Honda never gives up! I'm going to learn about everything about him! **

After the entry she drew a bug happy face.

_She really thinks I'm interesting? But I've always thought of myself as a boring outcast. Why does she keep coming back to me? What did I do to deserve her as a friend? Friend? Is she just a friend to me? _He shook his head to clear those silly thoughts. _She likes me as a friend. That's all we are. Really good friends. _ The rain outside stopped.

The next picture was of me and my master, the night after he had taken my beads off in front of her.

**Oh mom, I think I might finally understand. Why everyone looks down on the cat. It isn't only because he isn't in the zodiac, but it's because of his other form. It's horrible and scary and the smell it radiates makes me feel –**

_I knew it. She didn't want to be my friend anymore! She's only pretending now! I knew it! What else does she have to say!_

**- makes me feel sick to my stomach. But after Kyo's master took the beads off and Kyo fled, I couldn't help but follow him. I needed to follow him, mom. He was still Kyo. He still has feelings and still is HUMAN! And I don't care what anyone says about him! He's always telling me that I should do what I want for once. So I did! I followed him, even though he wanted to be alone and I told him that I still wanted him! I couldn't stand thinking he would be gone forever, mom. I want him in my life. Forever!**

_She what? She __wants__ me in her life? She actually cares about me! _He had tears in his eyes. No one had ever said anything like that about him. _I couldn't stand to leave her either. I care for her too much. I do have a reason to live. It's for her! She's my best friend! _The clouds faded away from the sky. And the sun shone brightly. Kyo looked out the window, with a smile plastered across his face. _Friend? _

That was the last thing Kyo thought, before he collapsed and fell unconscious.

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><p>I promise he doesn't fall unconscious every chapter :P<p> 


	3. For you, Kyo

So I need the name for a character who is 16/17, she has fiery red hair and stands almost as tall as Yuki. (So she would be taller than him in heels, ect). Sooo, you guys are gunna name her! So we are gunna have a contest, first person to tell me what the connection is with Kyo's illness in the ch.2 and him in ch.3! And if no one guesses it when I need the character, I'll tell the answer and chose a name myself.

-Im here to enkindle courage : )

*Note! This is while Kyo is still in dreamland*

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><p>"Shigure! Wake up and get up here now!" yelled Hatori.<p>

"What happened? Is he okay?" Said Shigure as he ran into the room moments later still in his ridiculous pajamas. They're ridiculous because they are feety pajamas with a butt flap and with dogs all over them.

"He's starting to fail. Just keep talking to him; he might start to snap out of it" replied Hatori, without turning to Shigure. "I think it might be time to wake the Tohru and Yuki so they can see Kyo. I think tonight will be…will be his last night." Hatori whispered the last sentence, tears welling up in his eyes. He had started to care for Kyo; he didn't want to lose him.

Shigure nodded grimly at Hatori's words. He went to Yuki first.

"Hey Yuki, Hatori thinks it's time to say goodbye." Yuki looked up at his friend. Shigure was crying silent tears. Which Yuki knew were Shigure's most genuine tears. He slowly got up. _I've wished that cat dead a million times before, but now that it's happening, I take it all back. Kyo, if you pull through this, I promise I'll be a better man. I'll be a…. a friend to you. I won't ever let you fall into this ever again. _And with that thought, he ran to Kyo's room while Shigure woke Tohru.

"Tohru? Tohru? Please wake up. Kyo is in critical condition and Hatori doesn't think he's gunna pull through. Come see him please." The brunet looked up into the canine's eyes. She hadn't been sleeping, she had been crying through the night. He had never wanted to hug her more, to comfort her. He felt guilty for not telling her what was wrong with Kyo, but it wasn't his place to tell her. It was Kyo's. _Mom? Is this really how it ends? Kyo-Kun has become my bestfriend. I can tell him anything and everything. And he can tell me everything. He's everything to me! I will not accept him going! He's always telling me to do what I want sometimes and I will! _She got up and also ran to Kyo's room.

They had decided to take turns saying goodbye. Hatori went first.

"Hey kid. I know I'm not the most sociable person but I want to tell you that I truly respect you. You aren't that sociable but you still make friends. You made friends with Honda and that's amazing for you. I've watched you grow from being a lonely child to a young man that seemed to think he had a purpose. If I had noticed sooner what was happening….Well, I'm sorry Kyo. Please fight. This family won't be the same without you." Tearing up, Hatori left the room. _You know what kid? I think I'm going to call up Ayame and ask him how to be more sociable, for you Kyo. _

Shigure was next to come in.

"Hey Kyo. I'm sorry for not being a good person to you when you were growing up. And then when you moved in, I wanted to become like a father to you, just like your master is. I wanted to make sure that you grew into a successful man, with the qualities of a gentleman. Ha-Ha, that sounds funny coming from me, right? Shigure the gentlemen?" He smiled, "Kyo, please get up. This life isn't so bad. Please fight for it." Crying silently, but with a slight smile on his face, Shigure got up and left the room. _Shigure the gentlemen? I think I could do that, for you Kyo. _

Yuki was now up to take to his childhood rival.

"Hey you stupid cat. Get up. Miss Honda is worried sick about you! She cares about you so much, you fool. How could you do this to us? Why didn't you tell us what was happening! We care about you, you damn cat! The whole family has been worried sick! Tohru has barley been able to leave the phone, because everyone is calling to check up on you. I swear to God that if you die, Kyo, I'm going to bring you back to life, just to kill you again!" After a moment of silence, a tear fell from Yuki's eye. "See, you fool? Even I care about you. Don't tell Ayame, but you're the brother I have always wanted. I wanted companionship and with you here, I got it. I had someone to argue with, someone to fight with, but the point is, I had someone. Snap out of this Kyo. We all need you." And with that, the once proud Mouse left. _I will be a man from this day forward, for you Kyo. _

Tohru was finally allowed to go and be with Kyo. She was crying madly. Tears blocked her vision as she stumbled to his side.

"Kyo-Kun? Can you hear me? I don't want you to go. Please stop this. I want you to wake up! Wake up! Please!" She couldn't talk anymore, because the sobs just kept coming. Instead she crawled up to the cat and decided to put him in her lap and pet him. "Kyo? Remember when you first broke through the roof and I accidently fell on you? You were so angry, but I still remember the first thought that came to my mind. 'Oh wow, he's really cute'. Ha-ha, how silly is that, huh Kyo?" While blushing slightly Tohru didn't realize Kyo's temperature began to come down slowly. "Hey, remember that time of the roof? Where I punched you in the arm and then you told me I sucked? That's one of my favorite memories with you. You looked so happy that night talking about your master. That was the first time I saw you genuinely smile. It made me so happy, that you were so happy. It's funny, the more you talked, the more I wanted to listen; to learn about you. You intrigue me so much Kyo. Can you see that?" She smiled to herself, reliving the moment, but then in an instant, it was gone. Kyo's temperature fell down to its normal one. A soft purring came from his throat, but Tohru was too caught up in her emotions to notice. "Kyo-Kun? That day that I saw your true form, I think I fully understood you. Why you are so angry at the world, why you think it's so angry at you. You're scary and terrifying in that form. Instinct told me to run and never come back, but my heart told me to follow. And I did, I chased after you that dark night. My heart kept telling me that 'It's still Kyo, you're bestfriend! He's scared and lonely, so go after him, you fool!' And you're always telling me to do what I want, not what others would want. So I went after you into the dark even though you wanted to be alone. I couldn't stand thinking you would be gone forever. I want to be with you forever, Kyo. Please don't leave me." Tohru began to sob again. _I promise to do what I want sometimes, because you would always tell me to do that. So I'm going to do that, for you Kyo. _She was about to start talking again, until she heard something, something she didn't think she would ever hear again.

"Thank you, Tohru."

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><p>Yay! He's okay! Right? Maybe it was Yuki that said that? Or Hatori? Maybe even Akito?<p>

haha no. Its kyo. I'm not that crazy. haha Akito walks in to say thank you? hahaha. As iiiiff!

BYE! :)


	4. What next?

Hey people. 2 in 1 day again! Actually ill probably post more today. I seriously cant get this story out of my head. Also, anyone who can tell me why Kyo was sick before i tell you, will be able to name another character. It will be a 14/15 year old girl, who is shy and quiet. She has dark brown hair but stunning green eyes.

-Im here to enkindle courage :)

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><p>"Thank you, Tohru." <em>You saved me. Did you know that? Your silly little photo album saved my life. Thank you for caring enough about me to write them. I don't know what would have happened if I didn't read it. <em>

But as Kyo looked around the room, he became confused. It was dark and fall outside. _But it was bright and spring, maybe mid summer just a moment ago!_ _What happened? Last thing I remember, I was looking through that photo album. But here I am, lying in Tohru's arms as she's crying. What the hell happened? _

"Kyo?" _Mom! You saved him! Thank you! Thank you so much! I can't believe he's okay! I thought he was going to die in my arms tonight. _She then picked him up out of her lap and hugged him, whispering 'thank you' over and over again into the cat's fur. She never has felt this happy before. Her stomach fluttered and her heart soared. She wasn't going to lose anyone today.

"What happened, Tohru?" Kyo asked her, still unaware of why she was crying. _I hope she isn't crying because of something I did. How did I even get here?_

"I'll tell you in a second, I have to go get everyone Kyo!" She said as she put him back in bed and raced out of the room. She didn't want to leave him, but she had to get Hatori to make sure Kyo wouldn't faint again.

"Kyo is okay! He's awake and spoke! His fever is gone! Hello? Anyone!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs. _I hope they're still home! What if Kyo falls unconscious while I'm gone? Be okay Kyo! Help is coming, I promise! _

The 3 males were all sitting around the kitchen table while Tohru was with Kyo. No one spoke a word. The air was heavy with guilt and sadness. The same thoughts were going through their minds as they tried to accept Kyo's passing. _What next? What's going to happen now? _But when they heard Tohru shout those words, they all sprang up and ran up the stairs to Kyo's room. The next few minutes were full of Hatori checking Kyo's temperature and then a sudden POOF and a scream from Tohru running out of the room as Kyo became human. Yuki smiled at his cousin and made sure only Kyo could see the relief on his face. _Oh thank god. I can't believe he's okay. I still will keep my promise Kyo. I'm going to become your friend, whether you want me to be or not. _He then followed Tohru out the door.

"Tohru, would you like to help me call everyone and tell them Kyo is okay?" He smiled at her brightly. _She looks so happy right now, but we need her out of that room so Hatori can talk to Kyo. _

"I would very much, Yuki-San." She smiled at him brightly. _Oh mom! I'm so glad Kyo will be okay! I was worried that I wouldn't ever be able to talk to him about my life and learn more about his life. Everyone seems so much happier, even Yuki looks happy and I thought he didn't like Kyo! But….I feel like they are all hiding something from me. _

While Tohru and Yuki were making phone calls, Kyo had managed to change into some clothes and then began a serious discussion. Kyo had explained what had happened in his dream and Hatori explained Kyo's condition while he was unconscious. Kyo became pale when he heard that he almost died, again._ I almost died? All because I…_

"Kyo? Kyo? Are you listening?" Hatori looked at him, worried he would fall back into unconsciousness._ Come on kid, focus. We don't need a repeat incident. _

"Yeah, sorry. What did you say?"

"Are you going to tell Tohru" Shigure asked him.

Shigure's question was met with silence. Kyo looked at the ground, deep in thought. _If I told her, she just might get sick of me and leave. Or she might worry so much that she become like Hatori's ex-fiancé. And then she would want to have her memory erased to forget about me! _He began to panic slightly. _I don't want that to happen to Tohru. No, it would be easier to tell her a lie. I think it will save her trouble in the long run. _He then looked at the two men. They both looked like they had aged ten years. Hatori's eyes had bags under them like he hadn't slept in 5 months, while Shigure looked like he was started to get worry wrinkles. _I wonder what happened to those two. They look they are about to keel over and die themselves. _

"No, it'll be better in the long run if she never finds out about this." Kyo concluded.

"Are you sure about that, doesn't she deserve to know? Tohru has become close to all of us. I think she would understand." Shigure replied. _Come on Kyo, she'll understand. She accepts your true form and accepts our curse. I think she will accept this. It isn't her fault this happened to you. It's no ones fault. _

"No! She must never find out! I can't risk losing her because of something as stupid as this. She means way too much to me to do that." Kyo shouted back. _I can't lose her! No matter what. This is one thing I can never tell her. She might not understand. And I really won't have anything to live for. _

Tohru stood behind the door with a pot of tea, eavesdropping. She only heard from Kyo saying that she shouldn't find out about something to when he began to shout. _Tell me what? Yuki just said that he had some sickness that only the Zodiac can have, but this sounds a lot worse! But mom would be ashamed if I eavesdropped anymore. _So Tohru knocked on the door after a few seconds and everyone inside quieted down. Tohru stepped through the door into Kyo's room and pretended that she hadn't heard anything.

"I brought tea for you all!" She said with her smile she always has on. 'Thank you's were given to her, which she just smiled her 'Oh, don't worry about it' smile. _All I need to think about is that Kyo is better and that everything is okay. We should celebrate tonight!_

"I am going to go start dinner, so, Kyo, what would you like for supper? Pick whatever you want" She smiled at him. _I hope he tells me eventually what's wrong. But I won't push it, it's his business not mine. _After he gave her some ideas, she left in search of Yuki to see if he wanted to come to the store with her to get food for dinner. After they left, Shigure and Hatori left to go to the main house to personally deliver the news of Kyo being ok to everyone, and to ask them to give Kyo some time before coming to see him. So Kyo was left by himself, to shower and shave.

_What did that dream mean? I wonder if that photo album is a real thing. Would she be mad if I went and looked? Yes she would, that's called snooping. But she is out right now, I could look for it and she would never know!_ Smiling smugly at his 'brilliant' plan, he crept into her room. _Now, the book was in the book shelf, but I doubt it's actually there. _Kyo then decided to go and look through her room for it, not glancing at the book case. He checked her closet and found a dew interesting things in a box. The ribbon Yuki gave her at the hot spring, all the tickets from the movies they had all gone to, the card Kyo had given her for Christmas last year, and a few things from Hana and Uo. The card reminded him that Christmas was only 2 months away and how he was saving up to actually buy something for everyone no matter the cost. Tohru had given him the idea. She always worked hard just to make ends meet, but she always gave stuff to everyone, no matter how much it cost. He admired that about her. She was always thinking of others before herself. _That goofball, she's going to go completely broke one day. _But he still smiled. She was so kind and giving. _I wish I was more like her. She never even gets mad at anyone. I've never even seen her raise her voice at anyone. _He then got up and looked under her bed, which is where there were a few boxes. He pulled on out. He was surprised to find out that there was a bunch of papers in the box. He picked one up to read. It was all about Yuki. He picked up another, it was also about Yuki. Yuki, Yuki, Yuki, every paper was about him. He felt sick to his stomach and he didn't know why. _It only makes sense that she loves him, why do I even care. _That's what his mind said, but his heart was full of misery. He had no idea why. _Why do I feel like this? Ugh, whatever, I'm going to keep looking. _He out all the papers back into the box and pulled out another one.

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><p>She loves Yuki? Oh no! :( Poor Kyo. What is he going to do?<p>

-BYE :)


	5. What the hell brain!

Wow, I'm feeling very creative today! :D Lucky you guys. Also, people should review. I'm feeling lonely.

-Im here to enkindle courage :)

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><p>Kyo went to pull out another box, hoping the picture book would be in there. But when he pulled out the box, he found more papers. But they weren't about Yuki; they were about Hatori, Shigure and Ayame. One talked about how she found out that they all went to school together and were best friends through out high school and still are. There was an entry on how grateful she was to Shigure for letting her stay there. Then another was about how Ayame became president and then one about Hatori and his ex-fiancé. She went into detail on how sorry she felt for Hatori and how heartbroken she was when she heard about it. <em>Wow, it's amazing how much sympathy Tohru has for all of us. She's amazing. <em>He smiled when he thought about her. He got a tingling feeling in his stomach as he thought. He put the papers back into the box. _Huh, maybe she doesn't love Yuki? Maybe she has a box for everyone? Maybe…one for me? _With new determination, Kyo looked through the boxes looking for his. One was for Haru and Rin, then one for Hiro and Kana, then one for Kagura, and so on. As he read through them, he was shocked at some of the things Tohru said. She actually had **swears** in her writing. She completely drops the politeness and writes what she really thinks about everyone. How she was upset with Hiro for stealing her journal and disliked him a little for it. About how she cared for Kana like a little sister, but like a little sister, she can get bothersome. She talked about how Kagura made her angry every time she would hurt Kyo. This made Kyo smile. _Wow, she actually wishes she had the strength to fight Kagura when she is hurting me? Maybe I can teach her a few moves, so I'll have back up ha-ha._ She also talked about she got weirded out by Haru when he would hit on her. _Wow, she isn't blind! She can actually tell when someone is hitting on her! _She had a page on Akito and how she wondered what happened to him that made him so angry at the world and at the Sohma's. Everyone in the Sohma family, and her friends were involved in at least one box, everyone except Kyo. He felt extremely disappointed and sad. _I guess I'm not important enough for her to have a box for me. She probably doesn't write that much about me to have a box just for me. I'm boring and there really isn't much to me. What would she have to write about me? _Giving up on his quest, he starts putting the boxes away, when it suddenly her door slides open, to show Tohru carrying something in her arms. She screams slightly and almost drops what she is holding when she sees Kyo.

"Kyo-Kun! What are you doing in here? You should be resting in your— " She stops talking when she sees him with her boxes. _Those are my private thoughts! Why would Kyo snoop through those! I left myself come out on the papers. They are like my diary! How could he? Maybe he doesn't really know what he's doing, I mean, he was close to death a few hours ago. _

"Um, Kyo? This isn't your room;" she said quietly, "your room is across the hall remember? You should really be sleeping and recovering." _Please, when you wake up; don't remember anything that you read. I don't want him telling everyone what I think! They might not want anything to do with me anymore._

Kyo was at first confused by her reaction. He thought she would be mad and yell at him. But **this **is Tohru we are talking about. She isn't capable at getting mad, right? But after she told him that this wasn't his room, he realized something. _She must think I'm completely out of it! Like I'm still drugged up the medicine Hatori gave me. This is where I can make my escape! _

"Oh, you're right. This isn't my room… I'm so silly." He said slurred, like he was drunk. _Please work, please work, please work!_ "Will you help me back to my room, pretty lady?" _Pretty lady? What the hell brain! _

She blushed at his words. _He thinks I'm pretty? Oh wait, it's just the drugs talking, he probably doesn't think that. _She had a feeling in her stomach, disappointment? Tohru shook it off.

"Of course, Kyo-Kun. Here let me help you." She pulled him up of the ground, making sure their chest didn't touch. But Kyo suddenly felt the need to hug her. But he stopped himself. He didn't feel like coughing up hair balls in his cat form. Instead he decided to stumble and fell to the ground again, putting a stupid smile on his face. _What am I doing? She must think I'm an idiot. _

"Oh Kyo, are you okay?" He looked up at her. _Did she just call me Kyo? When you call someone by just their name, doesn't it mean that the two people are very close friends? No, she just forgot to say it in her panic. _She then pulled him up again and put his arm around her thin shoulders and started to walk him to his room. _Did I just say Kyo instead of Kyo-Kun? Why would I do that? Do I consider him so close that I don't need to add the Kun? _She then blushed. _Yeah, I do consider him to be that close. I want to call him just Kyo. And he is saying to do what I want sometimes, and I promised I would do that. So I think I'm going to call him just Kyo from now on. _As she was thinking, Tohru didn't notice the blush creep up onto Kyo's face as she led him to his room. He knew that if he actually put any weight on Tohru, they would probably fall, so he held himself up, content with her holding onto his arm and side.

When she got him into his room, she helped him lay down on his bed, and then covered him with blankets. She looked down on the boy. _He's sleeping all ready. Wow, he must have really been tired. _With his eyes closed, Tohru took the time to study his face. She looked at his tanned skin and fiery hair. She longed to touch it, but didn't want to wake the boy. Her gaze trailed down toward his nose and then him mouth. His lips were slightly parted and looked amazingly pink. _I wonder if he's ever kissed anyone before. He's never mentioned anything like that before. Well, maybe Kagura has taken his first kiss, but I doubt he actually wanted it. He doesn't seem to like her very much. I've never kissed anyone before either. Maybe I'll ask him about it when we are together on the roof next. _But after realizing what she was thinking Tohru started to blush. Soon her blush could have match Kyo's hair color. He smiled in his sleep and Tohru smiled too and she put a hand to his cheek and rubbed her thumb under his eye. _Mom? Why do I have this funny feeling in my stomach every time I'm near him? What does it mean? _Pondering her thoughts, she left to go start dinner.

But Tohru had been unaware that Kyo had been fake sleeping and once she left, he opened his eyes and had a big smile on my face. He then put a hand to place she touched him and blushed a little. _She was beside me for a long time; I wonder what she was thinking. I could see her face through a crack in my eyes and she was blushing for a bit. But why didn't she have a box for me? She looks like she cares about me. She put her hand on my face and smiled. She has to care about me! She thought I was sleeping, so she didn't do it to just make me feel good about myself. She must have done it because she cares. But then where is my box? And the feeling of her hand on my face sent fire through my body. I wanted to grab her and hold her. What am I saying? She's only my friend. Right? _Overcome with the exhaustion his body felt from fighting his earlier illness, Kyo actually fell asleep, thinking about Tohru.

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><p>Oh hey, you took forever to read that you know. You look funny when you read, your eyes go all squinty :P<p>

Did i mention I'm crazy? I haven't? Oh, well this is awkward.

-BYE :)


	6. Changing

Hey guys, this will be my last upload until I get 4 more review. I just dont wanna feel like im writing for nothing. You know what i mean? :S

-Im here to enkindle courage :)

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><p>Tohru had finally finished making dinner. Sighing with content, she walked over to Yuki's room.<p>

"Yuki-San? It's time to eat"

"Coming Miss Honda"

She then walked over toward Shigure's room; he had been there all day on the phone with people from the family, explaining that Kyo was fine and that he was going to stay fine.

"Shigure-San? Dinner is ready"

"I'll be right there"

Dinner was quiet. Everyone was tired with all that had happened in the last few days and they were all lost in their thoughts. They had gone from being scared to being terrified to being relieved. But they had slowly noticed slight changes in one another since this morning. Yuki and Kyo haven't fought, Shigure hasn't said anything perverted and Tohru hadn't said sorry for anything. They all wondered what the others were thinking about. What had caused this change.

Yuki was thinking of ways he could make things better between him and Kyo. _Maybe I should start out slowly, like just starting a simple conversation. Ask him about his time with master in the mountains. Maybe this won't scare him away or hate me more. Maybe I should…._

Shigure was pondering ways he could change his image of being a perverted man-whore into someone who people could respect. _Well, I can start treating Tohru better. I can help her out around the house and stop treating her like my servant and trying to dress her up in stupid outfits. Maybe I'll do the dishes tonight…_

And Tohru's thoughts were all on finding Kyo in her room before. _I hope he doesn't remember anything he read. I only wrote those things because I didn't want to blow up on anyone! I didn't want to be anything but kind to these people. They took me in, when I could offer them nothing. They put a roof over my head and cared about me. And I had the indecency to write those things about them. I'm such a horrible person. Maybe if Kyo does remember, he won't say anything. I hope so mom, I don't want to lose him or anyone. _While they were eating dinner Tohru decided that she would wake Kyo. If she didn't know, he wouldn't sleep tonight. After she finished eating, she was surprised to see Shigure grab her and Yuki's plate and started to wash the dishes. She tried to argue, but he wouldn't have so. So she went up stairs with his food to let him eat.

"Kyo? Kyo are you awake?"

Silence. _He must be fast asleep. Poor guy. But he's got to eat something, or he'll be cranky later. And maybe if he isn't cranky I can talk to him about what everyone is hiding from me._ She walked over to his bed and knelt down to him. His hair was just peaking out of the covers. She smiled to herself and pulled the covers from his face. _Oh Kyo, you're so cute when you sleep. _His mouth was in the shape of a small smile. _He looks so happy right now, I wonder what he's dreaming about. Hopefully something good. _She went to go shake the sleeping boy when he said something.

"…Tohru… tell….can't". Upon hearing her name, Tohru began to blush madly. _He's dreaming about me? Oh no! His food is getting cold. I need to get him up. _

"Kyo? Please get up. Kyo?" She shook him gently. Still sleeping, Kyo grabbed the hand shaking him and took it, to stop the movement. He intertwined their hands. A blushing Tohru didn't know what to do. But she was determined to wake him.

"Kyo? I need my hand back, Kyo. How else will I be able to cook for you and care for you? And stroke your face?" She whispered the last line. A simple creak in the wood would have been louder. He lazily opened his eyes.

"Tohru? What are you doing?" He asked her. Though he knew perfectly well what she had been doing. As soon as she shook him, he was awake. But he wanted to hear what she would say. _She likes stroking my face? _

"I brought your dinner up, Kyo." She smiled at him and how she could finally just call him Kyo. He also smiled her use of just his name._ It sounds so good coming from her mouth. _

"Thank you, Tohru." He squeezed her hand and then sat up. The blanket fell from his shoulders. Tohru made a small gasped and started to blush. Kyo wasn't wearing a shirt. _Oh mom! I know I've seen Kyo without a shirt on before but I've never really been able to look at him like that before. He's very, uh, chiseled. _Kyo looked over her, confused. She had seen him naked, many times before. _I wonder what's wrong. Should I ask? But then it would be awkward. I'll just leave it. _He smiled at her.

"Lets go out to the roof when you're done eating, Kyo. I mean, if you want to! I'm sorry, I shouldn't assume that you would want to go with me, I'm sorry—"

"Tohru"

"I mean, the roof is where you go alone to think and—"

"Tohru, come on. I'm not hungry. Let's go to the roof. Okay?" He smiled at her.

She stopped rambling and smiled back. They walked out toward the roof and he climbed up first. As she climber up, Kyo looked down on her and gave her his hand to help her up. They both didn't want to let go of each others hand, but they avoided each others eyes as they sat down. They stared out at the moon. Kyo glanced at Tohru through the corner of his eye. The moon shone on her. It highlighted her every feature. Kyo seemed to see her in a different light. _She's so beautiful in the moonlight. It shows all her cute features. How she bites her lip when she's thinking or how she sighs when she's happy about something. But what am I saying? She's beautiful all the time. But why am I only seeing her like this now? What's changed? What has happened that made me feel so different about her? I always thought she was cute, but she's so much more than that. She's friendly, generous and kind. She makes my stomach feel like it's going to explode, my knees get weak. God, don't I sound like some cheesy cliché? She tries to comfort me when I'm upset. She even made up some silly story about having something on your back that makes a person special. She is ridiculously stubborn about things she cares about, she's a hard worker, and she tries to __**understand me. **__That's all I've ever really wanted. All I ever wanted was someone to take the time to get to know me; someone to finally understand me; someone to…to love me. Love? Do I really love her? _He looked at her, and she turned and smiled at him. _Love? Maybe. But… if I do. I should tell her why I got sick. Maybe she will understand and won't worry. Because with her around, I don't think it's going to happen. But I can't tell her… not yet. Not until I'm sure she loves me back. Not until she says it to me. And if she doesn't, then she will never know. No, I don't she knows what love is, yet. Christmas, I'll tell her on Christmas. But for now, I'm going to keep these feelings inside me. I can't believe that I, the cursed cat of the zodiac, has actually fallen in love. And it feels… it feels amazing. _And with that, he turned back to look at the sunset, content with holding her hand and lying next to her.

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><p>Well, there you go! Things are starting! :)<p>

If you want more, review! Tell your friends to review! Even if its a 'Youre a shit wriiter, change this this and this, then it will be better" or just to tell me you like the story.

- Bye :)


	7. A Mutual Understanding

****Yay! Now its time for a Yuki & Kyo moment! :)Thanks for the reviews, please keep them coming.

-I'm here to enkindle courage.

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><p><strong>One way to test the speed of a bullet shot from a gun is to use a device called a ballistic pendulum. Because it is based on well understood physics, it can give very accurate results even though the equipment is quite simple. A block of material such as wood is hung from supporting wires as shown below. When the bullet is shot at the pendulum, it hits and becomes embedded in the pendulum. Together, the pendulum and the bullet swing upwards. By measuring the maximum height that the pendulum and bullet swing to, the speed of the bullet just before impact can be calculated. For this problem, a 0.0200 kg bullet collides with a 5.7500 kg pendulum. After the collision, the pair swings up to a maximum height of 0.386 meters. Determine the velocity of the bullet just before impact.<strong>

Kyo groaned out loud. It had only been a week since the incident, but he had gone to school Monday morning. It was now Thursday and he was doing homework, trying to get it done so he could go pick Tohru up from work. _Fuck!_ _Biology is so much easier than this. All it is is stupid memorizing and stuff. You don't have to think about it. I would rather have homework in that class then in this one._ _Why did I decide to take physics? I don't even need it where I'm going. I don't even know why I go to school. I'm just going to get locked up in that stupid room for the rest of my life. If I ran, maybe I could escape it. Maybe I can move to America and live in secret; move away from Akito and the Sohma's. But then I would be away from Tohru_. Kyo frowned. _Maybe she will come with me. _He laughed at the idea. Asking Tohru to move away with him? That's funny.

As Kyo was doing his physics home work in his room, Yuki was next door doing his biology homework. _God damn it! There are so many stupid things to memorize! I have such a terrible memory. I hate studying this much. I would much rather be doing other things than this. Physics is so much easier. Its straight forward and you're given the damn formulas!_

"Fuck! This is retarded!" A crash followed after that. "Now I fucking broke the lamp too!" Yuki chuckled at Kyo's frustration. _Hmm, maybe this is a good time to go talk to Kyo. _He came out of his room and knocked on Kyo's door.

"Who the hell is it?" Yuki chuckled again at Kyo and open the door. He then casually leaned against the door.

"Lost a fight against a lamp, I see." Yuki smirked at his cousin. There was broken glass on the floor. "I'll go get a broom"

Kyo at first was going to yell at Yuki, but then stopped as Yuki left the room to get a broom. _He's helping me?_

After Yuki came back, they both silently cleaned the lamp up.

"So what was all the yelling about?" Yuki asked.

"Some stupid physics question that I can't get" Mumbled Kyo. Yuki looked up. _Maybe I should help him! Then he might actually stop hating me. _

"You know, I'm actually really good in physics… I could help you if you want. And I know you're really good at biology and I could use some help in it. Do you want to do our homework together? I promise I won't kick you're ass across the room. And besides, Shigure said that if we break anything more, we have to pay for it." _Yuki, the same guy who has almost killed me a million times, wants to do homework with me? _He gave Yuki a 'WTF' look, but then shrugged. _Well, if he helps me, then I can go pick Tohru up from work._

"Fine." And so the cat and rat worked together, for the first time in millennia.

In ancient times, it wasn't the cat and rat that didn't get along. It was the cat and dog. The dog would always pick on the cat and make it feel worthless. One day, God decided to send his right hand, the rat, to go and help the cat. The rat went and told the dog that God was disappointed in him and told him the dog was no longer allowed to live with the rest of the animals. That he would have to live away, by himself from now on. After the dog left, the rat looked at the sad cat and decided to bring him back to God. All three became very good friends. But as the cat became closer to God, the rat became jealous. He was very good friends with the cat, but he was always the animal that God would confide in and love. But God soon stopped talking to the rat and became more attracted to the cat. So when God called the banquet, the rat lied to the cat and said it was a different day. The cat believed the rat, thinking they were the very best of friends. By missing the banquet, God grew angry with the cat and cast him out. This is why the cat isn't in the zodiac and why Shigure lives away from the main house. Oh course the dog is allowed to visit with everyone; he just isn't allowed to live permanently with the family. So after the dog is 16, he is sent away from the family. But in more recent times, the family didn't want to send the dog away, but tradition forced their hand. However, tradition didn't state that they couldn't help the dog. So the dog was given a home to live in and money to live off. But nothing had ever changed for the cat. He was still the most hated by his "god".

As they were working on their homework, Yuki and Kyo actually started to get along. They both soon realized how much alike they are. They both like helping people and want to make a difference in the world; they each love a challenge and any physical activity. They have both always wanted to go rock climbing and skydiving. They actually** laughed** at a few points. Yeah, even they couldn't believe that one.

"I thought of becoming a doctor, but I'm too squeamish when it comes to looking at things like organs," Yuki shivered just thinking about it. "So I am thinking of becoming a lawyer."

"I actually have always want to become a doctor," Kyo said when they were talking about. "Tohru actually gave me the idea. She's always helping people and looks happy just doing that. And since I've met her, I've been trying to be nicer to people. And when I help them, even if it's something small, I get a good feeling from it. So I want to become a doctor, so I can make a difference in someone's life." He looked up at Yuki with a smile on his face. _This is what you've done to me, Tohru. Here I am, studying with the damn rat. And I'm actually enjoying myself. _But then Kyo thought of graduation. On how he will never live out his dream; how he is destined to be trapped inside the cat's crate.

"But that's never gunna happen. After graduation Akito is going to lock me away, remember?" Kyo said morbidly, looking down. _I'll never to be able to be with Tohru, I'll never be able to live with her, or have a family with her. I might not even have time to find out if she even loves me. _Yuki remembered the fate of the cat and pitied Kyo. Kyo would never be able to live out his dreams, or travel, or have a family; he might never tell Tohru how he feels either. Yes, it had become clear to Yuki that Kyo had started to fall for Tohru. His attitude had changed dramatically when she came into his life. Yuki accepted this fact. At first he had been angry because he liked Tohru also. But after a while it was clear to Yuki that he didn't feel as strongly toward her as Kyo did. And he also saw how Tohru seemed to be more drawn to Kyo also. They would spend time together and walk together at school. Yes, Yuki knows that the two liked each other but knew it was better if they found out by themselves. Yuki frowned with Kyo.

"You know, maybe, you need to stop thinking so much about tomorrow and enjoy what time you have left by living today." His eyes were serious, as he looked at Kyo. "Live by making memories, times full of laughter and joy. Taking every opportunity to see her smile, to see her laugh, to hold her hand... do those things; so that you can etch on your brain and carve in your heart the memories of her. Ensuring you hold those memories as precious. So, maybe, despite your fate, you can smile in the future. Because, no matter how powerful Akito is, those memories are something Akito can not take from you." Kyo looked at his cousin, deeply touched with what he had just said. _He knows that I love her? Am I that obvious? I hope he keeps this to himself. I don't want Tohru to find out and have everything become awkward. But I don't think he will; I think Yuki will honor my secret. Like how a… how a friend would. Yuki...is my friend? _

"And you know something, Kyo? Don't let Akito just take you but don't run from him. Make your own path, a choice that will make you happy no matter where you are. Never settle for something that will make you unhappy or you a choice you aren't content with. Fight for your freedom; fight for your right to be normal; fight for her. Make the decision that you will never settle again." Yuki looked at his cousin with a fire in his eyes. "And if you tell her, why you got sick. She won't run away. But if you run, she will follow you. She is rather stubborn that way." With a finally look at his cousin, Yuki left the room, leaving a speechless Kyo.

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><p>I think this was my favorite chapter so far. It really brought out their emotions, eh? And that question at the beginning? My homework for the weekend. Its actually easy for me. aha<p>

-BYE! :)


	8. I Guess We're the Adults Now

Oh hello. Tohru Honda wont be making an apperance again! But i thought it was time to through the older men together to have a bit of a chit chat :)

-Im here to enkindle courage. :)

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><p>"Well Tori, I'm surprised that you called me up to, what did you say, 'just hang out'?" Shigure smirked at Hatori.<em> He's been changing ever since Kyo almost died, why has he decided to do that?<em>

"It surprised me as well, Tori. I thought you didn't want to be seen in public with Shigure and I. Right dear?" Ayame said as he turned to Shigure.

"Yes, my love." Replied Shigure as he moved closer to Ayame. A trade of thumbs up then happened. And a sigh escaped Hatori's mouth. _These two will never change. _

"What did I do in my past life to deserve friends like you…" Muttered Hatori.

"Well you obviously had to be the most noble of knight!" Yelled Shigure jumping from his chair onto the table.

"You probably saved hundreds of lives! And rescued people from burning buildings! You must have been a superhero of the ancients!" Ayame added, joining in with Shigure.

"To have friends like us, you must have been a great and honorable man, with a heart of gold. What happened, eh?" Shigure laughed. A moment later, the table underneath him collapsed from his weight. Leaving him face first on the ground, outside of the coffee shop where they had been having lunch.

"You deserved that" Hatori gave a hearty chuckle at the sight in front of him; which he had been doing more of. He wanted to start making this a weekly event with his friends. He wanted to get out in the world again; he had become so secluded from the world since Kana. _You know what, kid? This is all thanks to you. _Ayame joined in with Hatori's laughing. Eventually Shigure joined in with the chuckling.

After fixing the table (it was a fold out table, so all they had to do was straighten the leg again), they started another conversation, mostly about their favorite American superheroes. Surprisingly, no one said anything about Superman or Batman. All of them agreed that Spiderman was the most 'kickass' superhero.

_We haven't had a day like this, all together, in a long time. We should do this more often. And maybe I can secretly watch Hatori on how to act more gentlemen-y. _Shigure smiled happily with his friends.

They talked about all sorts of things. How Ayame's shop has been going, if he had asked out his helper yet. Or how Shigure's new book was going, not his 'romance' stories, but his actual novels. But as the trio talked, there talks became more somber and serious. They began to talk about their curse, and about Kyo's future.

"Are you going to help Akito, put him in?" Shigure looked down at his hands as he asked the others the question. _I will not do it. Even though it is tradition that the cat is to be locked away after he graduates high school, I won't help that…that tyrant lock him up. Kyo has become my friend. I don't want to see him leave. I don't want to see the heartbreak on everyone's face. I won't contribute to that. If Akito want to lock away Kyo, then I'm going to try my hardest to stop it._

"Do we all promise that this doesn't leave this table?" Ayame asked hesitantly. _If I tell them what I have planning and they tell Akito…I don't even want to think about it. _

"Agreed" Hatori and Shigure answered.

"Well, I actually have a saving fund…. that I wanted to use to actually buy the building I'm using for my shop instead of renting it. But ever since I really started to get to know Kyo, I've been thinking of giving it to him. It's enough for a plane ticket out of the country and enough to pay for an apartment for a few months while he looks for a job. The closer he gets to graduation, the more certain that I should do it." Ayame looked at his friends, waiting for their reactions. _Please be the people I know you are. _Both of their faces showed nothing. Then, Hatori spoke.

"That is very noble, Ayame. I'm impressed with you. I thought you didn't care about other people much; I thought you were as deep as a puddle. I'm proud to call you my friend." Hatori looked at his friend with admiration. _Since when did Ayame stop being a kid? _

"I agree with Hatori. That's amazing Ayame. Since when did you grow up?" Shigure smiled at his friend.

"And to answer your question from earlier, Shigure, no. No I won't help Akito. And I think you'll be hard pressed to find someone who will. Since Tohru has come to us, Kyo has come out to the world. He has become someone we all love and respect. And I will watch him grow even more. Kyo _will _be more because I will stand against Akito. Every time we ignore the suffering of others or stand by and watch, we do not only act against our own interests but we violate a part of our humanity. I let Akito take away Kana; I let Akito force me to erase peoples memory, I let Akito hurt Hiro and Kisa; I let Akito hurt Haru and Rin; I let Akito hurt Yuki for years on end. I'm done doing let people suffer while I stand idle by. And I hope you two will stand with me. Akito will hurt no one anymore!" Declared Hatori with such passion, Shigure and Ayame almost thought they should clap. They people in the movies would have, for that kind of speech.

"I will stand with you, Hatori, when the time comes. I won't have Kyo face the loneliness." Ayame answered.

"As will I. We have not come so far, to fail him now." Shigure agreed.

And so, on that day, the 3 childhood friends came to the decision that they would all save up money to give to Kyo on graduation. With this money, Kyo could flee the country and leave until Akito dies. Then once that happens, they would contact him and tell him it was safe to return.

Being the drama queen he is, Ayame jumped to his feet." And if Akito demands them to tell where Kyo had gone, then we will blackmail Akito with the one thing that we can. No one but her parents and us know this. And Akito would surely lose respect if it was discovered. I think, my friends, we will succeed! If Akito tries to take Kyo from the world… then we will tell Akito's world that Akito is lying to the world. That _she _is a female."

"That is a good idea, Ayame. But it has the potential to back fire. I think we should use that as a last resort. Agreed?" Hatori inquired.

"Agreed." Shigure and Ayame said. _We're adults. When did that happen? And how do we make it stop? _

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><p>Yay! Thanks for the reviews :) I'm actually trying to get away from the story line of the manga, but i needed something to hold over Akito, and this was it.<p>

Please review :D


	9. A Wise Man Once Said

Sorry for not updating in a while, I haven't been feeling well. I'll try to update a few times a week from now on. Please R&R. :D

-I'm here to enkindle courage :)

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><p>"Kyo, its time to get up. Breakfast is almost done." Tohru whispered as she peaked into Kyo's room. Her intention was actually to wake the sleeping figure, but it was to make sure he was okay. Ever since Kyo was sick, Tohru would come in early in the morning to make sure he was okay. Last time, she had just let him sleep in, thinking he was just tired. And then he almost died. <em>If I had gone sooner that day, he would maybe have been okay and it wouldn't have gotten so bad. Hatori would have been alerted sooner and nothing bad would have happened to Kyo.<em>

Every morning, while the house was still, she would go down stairs and prepare breakfast and then climb the stairs to Kyo's room and check on the boy. She always prepared the ingredients for breakfast, incase the boy **was **awake. And if he did see her, she could just say that she was waking him for breakfast. But as normal, today the boy slept. He did not stir as Tohru walked over to his bedside and pulled the blankets from over his head. _Oh thank goodness. He's okay. I guess I can go back to bed. Mom, thank you for watching over him again. He means too much to me, to have that happen to him again. _She smiled at the sleeping figure and left the room. _I should go put away the food, so know one will wonder if something is wrong. _

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard the fridge open. She walked around the corner and saw Shigure walking around doing the dishes; the ingredients were already put back into their rightful places.

"Went to go check up on Kyo, then?" He asked her casually. _It's good she cares about him so much, but she shouldn't get so close to him. When graduation comes, they will be separated for a long time. _

"No! Of course not… well… okay." She looked down embarrassed. Her face becoming redder by the second. _How did he know? I thought everyone was sleeping and I was really quiet. I bet he thinks I'm a weirdo now. _She looked up. "How did you know?"

"Intuition I suppose." He laughed. "You two have been a lot friendlier recently." _If I don't say something, they might both realize that they like each other. And if they do, they both will be heart broken in a few months. Should I discourage her? What would a wise man do? Stop with small pain here? Or let them find happiness for a while and then watch pain rip them apart later? I guess what I should ask is, is it better to have loved then to never have been loved? _

"Ha-ha, yeah we have been, eh? We've become really good friends; I just worry about him is all. He means a lot to me and I wouldn't forgive myself is something bad happened to him again. I guess you could say we have become bestfriends" She smiled. _Just really good friends, is all. That's all there is, right mom?_

"Well my dear, I've done the dishes and put away the 'breakfast'. So go back to bed. I'll finish cleaning and then I'm going to go finish some of my book. Take care, my dear." He smiled at her. _What am I saying? Pain would never rip them apart. Neither will separation. Kyo and Tohru are both stubborn beings. Being loved is better. I think they are strong enough to stay together. They __**will**__ conquer this. And besides, if he leaves, she may just follow him. _

"Thank you, Shigure-san." She said as she turned to walk back up the stairs.

The first thing she heard was chirping from the birds and felt the sun hitting her face, warming her. She rolled over and grabbed her journal from out under her mattress. It wasn't her diary, but all the things she felt she needed to write about her memories with Kyo. She originally had a box for him, with lose sheets of paper, like she has for everyone else, but once the box became full, she decided she would need a book to keep all the memories and thoughts organized. _I'm so glad Kyo doesn't remember anything he read from the boxes, mom. I don't want him to tell anyone what I think of them, things could get bad if he did! Everyone would probably get mad at me. And I'm lucky that I keep everything I write about him in this journal. He might have read the stuff I write about him, and that would be embarrassing mom! He might find out that I have a little crush on him and care about him a lot He might have been weirded out by that and wouldn't want to be my friend anymore!_ _Did I just say crush? I guess that is what you would call it. I get butterflies when he is around; I get nervous and stutter sometimes. I hope I never forget this feeling. _In truth she didn't want to ever forget anything that has ever happened while leaving with the Sohma's. The good, the bad, the happiness and the sadness, so if Akito did decide she needed her memory erased, she would have these boxes and books full of her thoughts, feelings and memories.

And so she wrote about how Kyo went to lunch with her on Friday and they had been almost late to class after. She wrote about how Kyo laughed a lot more recently and looked her in the eyes much more than usual, making her face the color of his hair. She then wrote about how he had picked her up a few nights ago from work and told her a story about him and Yuki actually working together. She then was so excited for him that she hugged him and then had to carry him back to the house, apologizing the whole time. He was laughing the whole way home and constantly told her to 'shut up' when she apologized. She smiled thinking about it.

Tohru looked at the clock as she got out of bed. It was about noon on Saturday morning. This was the longest she had been able to sleep in a very long time. With Shigure taking care of breakfast, or **trying **to, she was able to sleep in. And did it feel good. She yawned and stretched. _I wonder if the boys need help in the kitchen. _And if it was on cue, there was a loud crash, followed by yelling. Tohru sighed and got out of bed. She then proceeded to walked down the stairs. It sounded like a rare dispute between the two male teenagers in the house. _I thought we were over all of this, damn it. _

"You damn, rat! Couldn't you just leave it alone! Now look at this! The god damn soup is everywhere!"

"Shut up, cat. I was only trying to help, so Miss Honda wouldn't have to work so hard today."

"Come on guys, stop it. You'll wake Tohru" Shigure tried to reason."

"No one asked for your help!" Argued Kyo.

"No one asked for you!" Yuki yelled, immediately regretting it. Yuki saw hurt flash through Kyo's eyes for an instant and then it was gone. Anger took its place.

"Fine! Then I'll just leave!" Kyo shouted back, storming from the room. Tohru gasped as he ran from the house.

"Kyo! Wait, Yuki didn't mean it! Come back!" But her cries fell on deaf ears. Showing the disappointment on her face she turned to Yuki.

"Yuki, that was a terrible to thing to say to him. You knew that it would upset him a lot, it disappointing that you would do that." She stared at him, slightly shocked at what she had said. _Well, he did need to know. He needs to apologize to him. _

Yuki on the other hand, was flabbergasted at what she had just said. Had she just…scold him?

"..Miss Honda... I…" But Yuki had no words. He was still in shock.

"Tohru, Kyo will be fine. He'll just go mope like a cat. Probably find somewhere high to hide and will come back when he wants to." Shigure put his hand on her shoulder and looked out the door with her. "Tohru, you do realize that no matter how fast you run after a cat or how hard you try to hold on, you can't capture a cat? They will always get away."

She turned to face him and looked at him solemnly, square in the eye.

"Kyo isn't a cat. He's a person," Tohru said, standing up and running after Kyo.

Watching her go after him, Yuki went to stand by Shigure as Tohru ran after Kyo. As she faded into the distance, Yuki looked at Shigure/

"She really loves him. And I know he loves her. What are we going to do Shigure? They are going to end up separated, one way or another. They won't be happy then."

"You know, maybe they aren't meant to be always happy. Maybe happiness has nothing to do with having all the time in the world. Maybe being happy means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating the small victories you can have from day to day. Struggling is to simply be human, which is what we all want, to be a full human. They will be thankful for the things they did while they could. To be happy while they can. And at the end of it, they will smile at having the courage to get where they are. That knowing everything would end in heartbreak, but still going through it all. I think they will be just fine, Yuki. I think they will fight for the right to be with one another. They clearly care about each other too much to just roll over and die. Once, when I was looking for something for my book I read a quote by Mother Teresa. I don't remember the exact quote, just bits and pieces. Want to hear it?" Shigure looked at Yuki, and Yuki looked back. But Yuki didn't see the young and goofy Shigure he has become accustom to. He was different; he had an air of nobleness around him. It was inspiring. It seemed that over night, Shigure had grown into a man. And a wise one at that.

"Yeah, I would." Yuki smiled at him. Still surprised at the sudden change. _Everyone seems to be changing around me. Shigure has gotten more serious, Tohru is getting more defined as a person and Kyo's violence has stopped. Am I changing without realizing it? _

"She had said some thing like 'Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.' She was a wise woman, to know all of that. But the last two lines, in my opinion are the best and most wise of them." Shigure stayed silent for a while; while Yuki thought about all that he had just heard from Shigure.

_Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it. Kyo, I will help you fight for your life. I promise that I will try harder to be your friend. I will watch what I say, you have struggled enough without help. And Tohru, I'm proud of you. _

"You're right Shigure. When they realize their feelings, I think they will be just fine." They both smiled at each other. Yuki then looked into the distance wondering if Tohru had caught up with Kyo yet, until Shigure interrupted his thoughts.

"So are you going to clean up the soup, or what?"

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><p>R &amp; R please. :) I'm not going to update again, until i get at least 3 more reviews. Thanks! :)<p> 


	10. If You Run, She Will Follow

_Yeah, i lied. I wanted to get this on because it's a much better cliff hanger. So enjoy! _

_-I'm here to enkindle courage :)_

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><p><em>I knew it. I knew it. They don't want me there, they are only humoring me. Those damn rat and dog. They don't want me! I bet Tohru doesn't either. I'll just leave and never go back, and then they will be happy! I should just go to Akito and ask him to lock me up now! Then everyone will be happy. Gah! That stupid rat knows how to piss me off. He's an asshole! I can't believe I thought of calling him my friend! Even Tohru doesn't care about me enough to have a stupid box for me. <em>Kyo ran angrily through the forest until he found a suitable tree, and climbed it. He liked the liberty, the open air, the quiet and the elevation. _I love height, I am like a cat._ He sighed to himself, setting in a nook in the tree.

But suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he saw her. Dressed in slippers and pajamas with her hair messed up and uncombed. She has a worried expression on her face as she looks around. _She's still so stunning, even when she is dressed like that._ His temper suddenly dissipates. _How does she do that? I mean it has been happening more and more. I feel as though I am going to detonate and her face enters my view. All the anger, rage and aggravation just leave my body._ _What is it about her that makes the reason I am upset just not seem so significant?_

"Kyo! Kyo! Please come back! Kyo! Don't leave me! Kyo!" _She must be lost, airhead. She has to start paying attention to her surroundings. _Sighing, he jumped from the tree. By doing so, Tohru let out a short shriek.

"Oh Kyo, there you are. I was worried." She was out of breath. _This is the second time that she's chased after me. _

"Why did you chase me?" He wouldn't look at her. He was still a little upset with everything that has happened. "It's obvious that no one cares about me. Why do you keep chasing me?" And then as if Yuki was there, his words echoed in Kyo's mind. _But if you run, she will follow you. She is rather stubborn that way._

Still panting, she replied. "Because… because I …care… idiot." He looked at her, taken aback.

"Did you just call me an idiot?" He asked, confused. _I must have misheard her, she wouldn't say that. It's so... un-Tohru. _

"Yeah, I guess I did." She looked him directly in the eye. _Its time, you can do this Tohru. He's not going to leave me. He will listen to what I have to say to him. _"Why did you run?"

"Because! No one cares about me! No one needs me, Tohru. I'm no good for anyone. I'm just the stupid cat, who no one likes. Who no one—"And then it happened, something that no one would have ever expected. Tohru slapped Kyo, right in the face.

"How…how can you say that? Are you blind? Do you know how many people called while you were sick? Do you know how many people waited by your bedside, waiting for you to get well? Do you know how many times I had to answer the god damn phone, saying that 'no, he isn't awake yet'? We had to drag Kagura from your bedside, Haru came by everyday talking about challenging you to fight the next time he saw you, Hiro **cried **while saying how he wished he had been nicer to you, did you know…. You know what, Kyo? Do you know who was always with you? Who stayed by your side during all of it, or as much as they could? Me! It was me! Did you know how that I slept by your side every night, crying? That I don't even know what you were sick with, but thought that you would tell me when you were ready? How can you be so…so blind, Kyo?" Her face was puffy and tears were in her eyes. Her voice threatened to crack, but she wouldn't allow it. "You yelled at me; you told me to go away; you ran from me. But I came back. I saw your true form, and even though it scared the crap out of me, I came back! WHY CANT YOU SEE THAT WE CARE?" She yelled at him, her tears were blurring her vision. "Why can't you see that I care?" She whispered softly.

"Well, if you care so much, why don't I have a fucking box? Huh? You gave everyone else a box! Showing your memories and your thoughts! But not one for me! So stop fucking lying to me, Tohru! I **know** you don't care." He yelled back, no longer caring about what he tells her. He has wanted to keep his snooping around a secret, but it's not a secret anymore.

Her crying slowed, her anger disappeared. "Is that what this is about? All your anger was aimed at not having a box? You foolish boy. You haven't realized it yet? Kyo… we have so many amazing memories that there wasn't enough room in a box. I saved up for a pretty journal that I can put our memories in. I don't keep it with the boxes. I keep it close to me, all the time. In my school bag, under my mattress, in my purse. It's because those memories are the ones most important to me, Kyo. You are the most imperative person in my life. Ha-ha, and you call me the airhead? Kyo, you must be so blind not to see that." She smiled through her tears. _There, I said it mom. Are you proud? I just told him what I feel. What he has been telling me for years. That its okay to be a little selfish sometimes, to tell people what I feel. I had the courage to finally do it, mom. I'm not even angry that he knows about the boxes. I'm glad he knows. It feels…good, mom. I don't have to keep everything in all the time, to not have to worry about hurting someone's feelings. I feel…real. And I will find out what he was sick with. I am a fighter and I will fight for this knowledge. I never ask for anything. But I'm going to ask for this. _

He stood soundless for a moment, processing. _She does care? She cares about me, so much that she will always chase me? Always follow me… Does that mean she… I need to know. I need to know now. Screw waiting till Christmas. I will know now, and if she does, I will give her a Christmas full of cheerfulness and bliss. _Just as he was about to speak, Tohru interrupted him.

"What were you sick with? I never ask for anything and I'm sorry but I need to know. No one will tell me. I want to know!" She looked at him with fire in her eyes. _That's the Tohru I know, always apologizing for wanting something. Silly girl. _

He looked up at her and closed the gap between them and asked a question that she didn't expect; a question that needed to be asked.

"I'll tell you if you answer me first. Do you love me?"

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><p>Ho, shit son. Did he just drop a bomb? Yeah, he did. Anyways, review! :D 3 reviews and then you get an update. Love you :3<p>

-Bye :D


	11. Realize the Truth

Thanks for the reviews everyone. This chapter kind of takes place in Tohru's mind in a split second. So enjoy!

- I'm here to enkindle courage :)

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><p>Maybe it began when she first met him. His passion and anger enticed her, and drew her in. She had never seen that type of emotion; that intensity from anyone. It made her curious and wonder about him. Her thoughts about him led to many sleepless nights that she never mentions; never thinks about. Maybe it was then. But at the time, all she saw was some fire in him.<p>

Maybe it began when she realized he was sorry for yelling at her. How someone could admit it was their fault, without making excuses? There was no pride in the way. It was a noble action, a considerate action. Maybe it was then. But at the time, all she saw was something mature in him.

Maybe it began that time on the roof. He let her in to his thoughts, into his enthusiastic ideas and into his memories. He showed her that beneath the hostile exterior, there was a person with feelings. She got a glimpse into the complex character that was him. He let her in like a friend and told her things he wouldn't mention to anyone else. Maybe it was then. But at the time, all she saw was a many sided personality.

Maybe it began when he first held her hand as he took her back to the Sohma house after she moved out. She saw the relief in his eyes, even though he didn't mean to show it. She witnessed the gladness in his smile, the hope in his step, the small twinkle in his eye. She observed the cheerfulness in him even though he suffered so much all the time. She didn't see that it was her being back that made him that way. Maybe it was then. But at the time, all she saw was a happy boy.

Maybe it began was when he had stepped in to stop those boys from hitting on her at school. He showed protectiveness that made her feel safe. He explained that when he was around, she could let her guard down; be an airhead and he would keep her out of harm's way. She felt from then on that she could just be herself around him and he wouldn't judge her. She would do the same to him. Maybe it was then. But at the time, all she saw was a defender.

Maybe it began when she got sick and he looked through books on how to make her feel better. And then cooked her leek soup even though he loathes it and then taking it up to her room and trying to cheer her up. She witnessed him try to cheer her up even though no one would ever help him when he was hurt before. She saw kindness leaking out of him when it wasn't expected. Maybe it was then. But at the time, all she saw a compassionate boy.

Maybe it began the night he ran off into the darkness, his beads in his master's hands. She saw a scared boy, frightened by his own body; a boy who didn't care whether he lived or died; a boy who hated everything about being the cat. But she ran after him because he had done more than he knows for her; because he meant so much to her. She chased after him in the darkness and wouldn't leave his side, no matter what he threw at her. No insult, yelling, punch, would make her leave him when he needed her most. Maybe it was then. But at the time, all she saw was her best-friend drowning in his darkness.

Maybe it began the night of his illness. She sat powerlessly as he was gradually dying beside her, and she couldn't stop it. She didn't know what it was or what it was literally doing to him. She just sat their, trying to relieve him, trying to show him that she would miss him if he left her; if he disappeared from her. At this moment in time she couldn't say "I'm sorry" because he couldn't hear her; couldn't try to make him laugh or smile because he couldn't see her; couldn't hug him to make him better; because he couldn't feel her. He almost died on her that night and that night she had almost realized something important; almost accepted it. Maybe it was then. But at the time, all she saw was a broken soul.

Each moment in time, she wouldn't admit her feelings. She couldn't. She didn't want to get hurt by him leaving her. She loved her dad and he left. She loved her mom and she left. She was terrified that if she even for a moment; a split second, admitted she loved him, he would leave too. But how can she not love him? He cared for her, showed her into his life, made her care about everything he was and is. He unintentionally dragged her into his life that day they first met. If he hadn't came crashing into her world, it wouldn't be as it is now. She wouldn't be as blissful as she is; as loved as she is; as happy as she is. Because of him, she became important in someone's life again. She didn't see it until now. She did not see that he lived for her smile; her laugh. Just her.

She doesn't know that every single day, he would obsess over what to wear for her.

She doesn't know that every morning, he was awake when she came into his room to check on him.

She doesn't know that that gave him butterflies in his stomach.

She doesn't know that he had been studying hard every night to impress her with hi s good grades.

She doesn't know that he wanted to get along and know his family because of her.

She doesn't know that he tried his hardest to look on the bright side of his life, even though he was condemned to the shadows.

She doesn't know that he contemplated asking her to run away with him but didn't have the money to do it.

She doesn't know that everyday he wants to run away and hide from the world, but he doesn't because it would mean hiding from her.

She doesn't know that they single reason he did just about anything was because of her.

She doesn't know that he loves her.

But it came to her. As soon as he asked her that question, she began to understand. She no longer sees parts of things about him. She sees everything that was him; everything that made him tick; everything that made him simply amazing to her. But could she tell him? If he left her, she would break. Does she have the courage to tell him?

She knows that every single day the reason she couldn't pick out an outfit was because she didn't know if he would like it.

She knows that when she went into his room, she would look into his face and get all flushed.

She knows it was because his sleeping outline gave her butterflies.

She knows that the reason she tried so hard at school was so he wasn't embarrassed to be seen with her.

She knows that she wanted to know all the family and zodiac member was so that she could release him from his curse.

She knows that she wanted to make him happy, so he didn't have to remember that he was going to be locked away.

She knows that she worked so hard for money was so that she could maybe give it to him to run away with.

She knows that everyday she was scared that he would leave because he didn't want to face the caged life ahead of him.

She knows that they only reason she did anything was for him.

She knows that she loves him.

She looked up at him, with concentration that only made him want to gaze into her eyes more. Mustering up her courage she told him with a confident voice what she felt.

"Of course I love you."

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><p>R&amp;R 3 more reviews until the new chapter!<p> 


	12. Just Hold On

Hey people.

So it's come to my attention that you all dont like me asking for reviews. Well, tough shit. I like to know if people are reading my story. Im not going to write if no one is reading. And how can i tell if someone is reading?

By reading reviews. So grow a pair and if you like this story, review.

-Im here to enkindle courage :)

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><p>She said those words with amazing confidence. She didn't think of him leaving; of him running from her. She had wanted to tell him. She had taken the first step into a new kind of person.<p>

An individual.

She held her breath, waiting for his response, but he never moved; not an inch. His eyes were opened wide, unblinking. Immediately, panic spread through her. _Oh no! I scared him. Or maybe he was asking it as a joke? Or maybe he meant in a best friend way or a brother way. Oh mom, he's going to be freaked out. Should I say something? No, that would make things awkward. Maybe I- _

But in Kyo's world, everything froze. The only noise was his heartbeat screaming in his ears. He stood still, unable to comprehend her words. _She didn't say like a bestfriend, or like a brother. That means she loves me like I love her. Why did it take so long for us to tell each other? How were we so blind? Should I say something? No, that might make things awkward. Maybe I should… well, it's now or never._ He leaned down and put his lips against hers. At first she was taken aback and almost pulled away but then she found herself kissing him back.

For a kiss to be really good, you want it to mean something. You want it to be with someone you can't get out of your head, so that when your lips finally touch you feel it everywhere. A kiss so hot and so deep you never want to come up for air. You can't cheat your first kiss. Cause when you find that right person for a first kiss, it's everything. It was their first kiss. It was amazing and simple. They smiled big foolish grins at each other and held hands.

"I love you too, Tohru"

"Really?"

"No, I'm totally kidding."

"…Oh…" She looked downward, feeling hurt.

"That was a joke." She looked up at him beaming. He laughed at her silly expression. She reminded him of a young kid being told that they were allowed to have ice cream. He led her over to the tree that he had climbed and sat down with her. They sat in a comfortable silence, just holding hands.

After what seemed like hours, Tohru asked him a question.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I was afraid. I'm destined to be locked away for the rest of my life. I thought you would hate me for being that cat. I'm a hideous monster. It makes me so angry. I will never have the chance to prove myself to people. By being he cat, my life is already set. It's so frustrating to deal with. Why do you think I'm so hostile all the time? I don't want anyone to get close and begin to feel something for them. For someone to finally become my friend, and then I have to leave forever? I don't want that. It would be terrible. And for them to love That's why I didn't tell you. It would be better to just keep everyone out."

"Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. At some point, you have to make a decision. Fate isn't a decided thing, Kyo. You just need the courage to write your own."

"Courage? Tohru, I barley have enough strength to get up in the morning. My life is a failure, and can never be anything but that. By simply being born, I have failed."

"By getting up in the morning, you show courage. You defy everyone's belief that the cat will be lonely; that the cat will be hated; that the cat is a disgrace. Courage doesn't always come out loudly. It can be the tiniest thing. Sometimes courage is the calm voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow." And you do. You always work hard for things you say you won't get. But you still work for it. You do that because somewhere inside of you, you have hope. Your life will be determined by how strong that hope is."

"But—"

"But nothing Kyo! You haven't failed anything. You've succeeded in so many things. To win the respect of people and their affection; to earn the honest opinion of others and to endure hardships; to laugh for hours about nothings; knowing that if just one persons life has become better by knowing you; leaving behind something that will make people remember something good about you. That is to succeed. You've made my life brighter by being in it, Kyo. So please stop doubting yourself. We'll find away to break you free of Akito's grip. So just hold on, okay?" She looked at him with her big brown eyes, but he couldn't meet his eyes to hers. His were full of emotion that threatened to spill over.

He pulled her quickly into him. Wrapping his arms around her, he nuzzled his head next to hers, lips inches from her neck, breathing in her amazing smell. He was filled with admiration and appreciation to the thing his arms were around. And for a brief moment, he felt her small body against his chest. He could feel the love and happiness streaming from her body. He knew they both wanted to stay like this, but for now, a brief moment is all they could have.

The next thing Tohru knew, she was holding a bright orange cat in her arms, him purring. She looked down at the cat and hugged him close. She wished it was his real body, but knew that she would have to leave with this as long as the curse is around. _I want to be held in his arms; i want to cuddle with him; i want to hug him without fear. I'm going to break this curse, even if it kills me. _With a grin on her face, she leaned against the tree, watching the sun set. But a thought still lingered in her mind.

_Why won't he tell me what he was sick with? _

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><p><em><em>4 reviews and you get a new chapter! :)

-Bye :D


	13. A Partnership

Minor corrections, so it was re uploaded. :)

-I'm here to enkindle courage!

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><p>The Sohma family has been cursed since the beginning of time. They have had to live with the 'gift' of the zodiac for generations. But a soul can only be reincarnated so many times. A soul can only be stretch so far, before it snaps; before it returns to the heavens.<p>

Souls can grow old and souls can die.

Each man and woman of the zodiac curse souls are intertwined with the souls of their animals. The cat and cat bearer's soul have been entangled since the dawn of time. The cat is cursed to have only one soul while all other can choose different souls. The cat and his bearer have been together through numerous cycles of life and death. But unfortunately, the interconnectedness with the cat bearer's soul is not a good thing for the bearer, most aren't good for the bearer, but the cat is different. The cat unfortunately must impose on this single soul for all eternity to survive. All the while, the other animals do not have to impose on a single soul. At the death of their bearer, they aren't forced to follow it through the underworld, they can just attach to a new one. So the other animals became selfish. They wouldn't have to die for a long time, so why should they be kind to a host that they will be with for only a while? But the cat knew that it would have to be with his bearer until he died. And the cat became scared but knew that he has made the cat bearer's soul suffer for a very long time. So long in fact, that the cat pities it. He pities it so much that a thousand years ago; the cat came up with a plan. He would give all necessary qualities needed to survive to the bearer.

The cat has superior agility and climbing skills. The cat can look at an object and immediately know how to climb it; the cat can enter a room and know the escape route. He gives him the qualities so the cat bearer can be safe, even when danger is near.

The cat is an independent animal. It doesn't need others to provide for it. It can hunt, can find shelter, and can be by itself. The soul of the cat is aware of the sufferings he causes the cat bearer. The bearer must fend for himself, because of the ridicule and hatred that is shown toward him. So the cat gives him those qualities, so that when he is alone, he can survive.

The cat, before its physical body died, had claws made of steel. But the cat was a passive creature; he was able to fend off any predator that came after him with these claws. But he wouldn't go after other animals. The cat knew his bearer had many enemies, so he made him strong in martial arts. However, his true potential can be used if he is being attacked. So the cat gave him defense, to survive against even the toughest of enemies.

Survival; survival has been the cats plan since the dawn. To be able to live another day, that was the goal. But as the cat thought he was looking out for only the cat bearer, he was truly looking out for himself. Yes, the cat has survived for generations, but what has the cat bearer done other than survive with him? Has he found a family? Loved ones? No. He has been cast aside, over and over again. As the dying cat sees his partner struggle, he realizes what he must do.

The cat, no matter what it wants for itself, draws in people. Its attitude and natural self brings attention. The cat knew that Kyo's soul would always be scorned; hated. He knew that when Kyo was born, and they were joined again, it would need to be different. He knew that the only way to save his bearer was to change everything he had done before. Focus less on survival and push the bearer into happiness. So Kyo can make friends with normal people.

"Maybe then he will finally be happy"

The cat is special, he has a quality rarely found; forgiveness. Even if God grew angry with the cat, the cat still loved God. The soul of the cat is a delicate matter. It wants to be where it is wanted. The cat had believed it had failed his bearer. His bearer was miserable and everyone still disliked him. Not as much as before, but not enough to make Kyo happy. He thought that it was time to end it. The cat had tried once before to leave, but became scared. He didn't want to face the unknown. He was selfish, continuing on focusing on his own survival and forgetting his bearer. So Kyo was spared that dark night. However years later, nothing had changed. In fact, it got worse. Kyo would start to sit alone and hate himself. He would curse God for doing this. He hated everything around him. The cat looked at Kyo and realized that he truly must have failed his bearer. He knew that it would be worse for both of them if it continued. So that night that Kyo almost died, that was the night the cat decided that he must leave from where he is unwanted. Even though by doing so, it would kill his bearer. The soul of the animal can leave its bearer when ever it wants. But unless the bearer is truly happy with his self and has finally accepted the animal inside him, the host's soul will die from shock. The cat thought it would be an act of mercy. It would end the pain and suffering of his bearer and maybe the bearer would be happier by finally resting in heaven, instead of fighting the world over and over. But just as he was about to cut the last string that held their souls together, something happened that had never happened before.

People flocked to him. They showed kindness. And on a subconscious level, the unconscious Kyo could hear it. The cat felt his bearer's heart flutter and a smile spread across Kyo's heart. Realizing what was happening; the cat halted his work and watched the scene playing around him. The dragon, the dog, the rat and…. a human came to him. The cat was moved by their confessions; especially the human. No one before had gone to the bearer in a time of need. And the cat was surprised to find a human. Kyo had been completely accepted by her. Flashes of a future flew through the mind of the cat, images of a wife; of children; of a happy family; a happy life.

"Maybe I haven't failed him."

The cat smiled down at the boy and reversed his process. He knew that one day, the ties have to be cut or that when the cat's spirit dies, and so will his bearers. But his bearer is far from death. The cat decided he would watch the friendship between the two grow. And maybe one day, his bearer would stop hating the cat and would finally be free from him. The bearer would watch until the two fell in love, then something must happen that hasn't happened ever. The bearer must become aware of the soul attached to his own.

Kyo woke in a sweat. _What…what the hell was that? _His eyes darted across the room. _There is no way… It can't. I never met the man, so why would I dream of him? Master told me what he looked like in detail and I'm sure it was him. Why would my master's grandfather appear to me in a dream? _Kyo slowly began to replay what had happened in his mind.

"_Kyo Sohma?" A man in black with orange hair approached a young boy playing in the dirt. _

"_Yeah? What do you want, old man?" The young boy sneered. _

"_To tell you something you don't know. It's important boy, so listen to me."_

"_Ha! Why should I listen to you?"_

"_Because I am you." The man simply stated. He crouched down to the youth. "Be silent for a moment boy. I know who and what you are. I know that you bear the cat inside you; that you are hated by everyone around you. Because I am the same. The road I walk and you walk is often a lonely road and is difficult to stray from."_

"_How—" Kyo started to speak, but the mans eyes silenced him. They had the same eyes._

"_Kyo, you must understand something. You aren't 'cursed' nor 'gifted'. You are two in one. You have always been that, but if you fight, you can be one for the first time. Do you understand? You must stay with her, you must accept it and then you will be free." The man stood, prepared to walk away, thinking he had explained everything._

"_What? No! What do you mean two in one?" The boy chased after the man. "Please, stop!"_

_The man turned around, surprised. "You can't figure it out, boy? Come on, think it through. What could I possibly mean two in one? You're a cat and a man, in a body. What does that mean?"_

"_No, I'm just half cat and half human, aren't I?" Kyo looked at the man confused. Strangely, he felt like they had met before. _

"_It is surprising how much a human soul can forget through time." The man wondered out loud._

"_What are you talking about!" _

"_Okay, because we are short on time, I shall explain it to you. I am you. When you are touched by a female, or become sick, what happens?"_

"_I change into my cat form."_

"_No! Damn it boy! Haven't you been listening? I am you! What does that mean?" _

_Kyo collapsed onto his knees, confused. He looked up, but the man was gone. In his place, lay an old orange cat._

"_Maybe choosing that form was a wrong move. But now do you understand, young one?"_

"_You are me. Does that mean…. No, that's crazy."_

"_Try me."_

"_I change into you when I transform?"_

"_Almost. You mix our traits when you transform. As a human, you have the skills of a cat and the body of a human. But as a cat, you are young, which is a reflection of two."_

"_What is the two?" Kyo asked. _

_A twitch in the tail, the cat was annoyed that the boy wasn't getting it. _

"_Kyo! You are not half and half. You are two in one. Two souls in a single entity. Two souls have two different forms. A man and a cat. __**That **__is why you change. My soul's form comes out but your soul mixes. So you appear as a young cat instead of old. That is why when you are human; you have qualities of a cat. You, right now, are a single soul. And I, as myself, am a soul. But when we leave this place, we will be forced together again."_

_An epiphany; that is the best word to describe what happened in his brain at that moment._

"_So we are two in one."Kyo looked at the cat, it seemed to be coming to the end of his life. He wanted to know what would happen if the cat died while in him, but didn't ask._

"_We are a single being young one, I can hear your thoughts, as you mine. You usually take my thoughts and believe them to be yours. So I will answer you. When my soul dies and if I am attached to your soul, your soul shall perish as well. Your soul is young but mine is old. That is why you are young here and I am old. And before you ask, yes, I can leave you. But that will kill you as well, unless you accept this."_

"_Accept what?"_

"_Now my boy, that would be cheating. I can't explain anymore. And no, we will never speak again. But know that I am with you always. I know what lies in your heart young man. Don't let me down."_

_Kyo blinked and the man was back. The man smiled at the young boy and turned to walk away. Kyo, frozen in place, could only watch as the man walked across the field into the sunset. _

Kyo sat in his bed for a long time. _Was that really a dream? Or was it something else? _


	14. Prom & Pain

Hey guys! Im so sorry about taking forever to upload. The boyfriend thing took a while to get over. And then me and my bestfriend(yeah the same one) and i stopped talking, which was harder. Then i had exams to study for. Then i had alot of traveling for baseball. And then i got alot of writers block. :S So i finally was like, im being rude to these people. You arent leaving this computer until you have a chapter. So a few hours later, here i am.

-Im here to enkindle courage :)

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><p>Months had passed since Kyo's strange dream. He searched through years of Sohma history to try to figure out what his other 'soul' was, what 'accepting it' means, or for anything that could get rid of it. Tohru and he had been quite happy. They have only told Yuki and Shigure of their new found happiness. But even though they had tried to keep from the others, most figured it out quite quickly from all the side glances and slight blushes. Kyo had asked Tohru to prom a few weeks ago. Tohru had initially assumed she would go in a dress she previously owned but her friends, along with Shigure disagreed. Shigure, despite Tohru's protests, even offered to pay for a new dress. But once Ayame got wind of Tohru in need of a dress, he quickly whisked her away and took her measurements and asked her favorite color. He came back, in less than a week, with a fiery red dress that showed off Tohru's female figure and flattered her in every aspect. When Kyo first saw her in her dress, he fumbled over his words and ended up getting a smack to the head by Uo for 'not telling Tohru how fucking GORGEOUS she looks, idiot." Kyo and Tohru became increasingly closer to one another, but despite their constant research, haven't become any closer to finding anything that could free Kyo. But they were happy; happier than they had been in a long time.<p>

But then the prom dance came and went. The pictures that Kyo had actually smiled in were amazing. So amazing in fact, that Tohru had framed every one of them and put them up in her bedroom to admire everyday. The Sohma's had insisted on paying for her and her friends limo to take around the city for pictures. Uo had an amazing purple dress that made her date fumble around for words, making Uo's face turn bright red. Yuki took Taylor, a girl who he had gotten close with over the last few months through school. Her stunning green eyes, beautiful personality and attractive figure had made Yuki completely smitten, though he was too afraid to tell her decided to wear blue to prom. And Hanna? Well, despite the surprising amount of invitations she got to go to prom, she decided to go alone. She had a long black dress, one not much different from her normal attire. And after the amazing time they had at prom, everyone went to the after grad, in which they had a lot more fun. By the end of the night, Uo and her date bonded over the toilet, Hanna had turned down the many dance invitations and laughed at the increasing amount of drunks, Yuki and Taylor had managed to stay mostly sober and danced most of the night. Oh, and Kyo and Tohru? Well they shared they're first kiss that night, and their 40th a few minutes later. And after they pooled into the cars that would take them all home, Kyo looked at his half sober girlfriend and smiled.

_I'm so damn glad she fell on me that day. If I hadn't been the cat, I never would I have tried to attack Yuki, which means I wouldn't have met Tohru. I can't believe I can say that being the cat isn't all bad. _

**One.**

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><p>"Graduation is approaching, Kyo"<p>

"Obviously, now why am I here?

"So I could remind you of it and make sure you think about it. So it festers inside of you." Akito turned from her window and looked at the boy who was sitting in front of her, looking at the ground.

"I still have three weeks to be with he- to be free from you, Akito." Kyo glared up at her.

"With who? Oh, you're referring about Ms. Tohru Honda. Oh yes, I know." Kyo began to panic. _How? How does he know! We have only told Yuki and Shigure! He better not hurt her or I'll…I'll_

"Don't worry. I'll leave her alone until after you get caged up. Then I'll just have Hatori remove you from her memory, so she doesn't try to help you escape. And then you don't even have to hope that maybe one day she'll come and visit you." Akito smiled. She loved making him squirm and see the broken expression on his face. _Oh fuck, the pain is coming back. He has to get out of here so he doesn't think I'm weak. _

"Why? Why are yo—"

"Leave, now. Or I'll have you removed."

"You fuckin-"

"I SAID LEAVE" She screamed at him. Kyo gave one last glare and left, slamming the door.

Almost immediately, Akito fell to her knees. _Ugh, why is it when I talk to these…idiots…I feel worse than normal. At least I get a little yelling and torture in before I start hurting. Ha, his face when I told him of my plan was quite memorable. I'll enjoy walking by to tell him how Tohru is doing without him. How she doesn't miss him. Oooh! When she gets married maybe I'll show him her pictures kissing her—_

_**CRUELTY! **_

_God dammit. Not this again, why must it insist at talking to me after all these years. I wonder if all of those idiots have learned to talk to their other soul yet. Probably not, they are idiots after all. _

"What do you want, old man?"

_**God should not live this way, woman! **_

"Yeah, you've said that before."

_**So why don't you listen to me?**_

"Because I don't need the advice from a being that can only survive by living as a parasite on my soul!"

_**You are a stupid human! Don't you realize that you can make their lives better?**_

"Why should theirs be better if mine can't be?"

_**Cant be? Only you can make it better. But unfortunately, you have to figure it out for yourself. **_

This caught Akito off guard. _Make it better? There is a way!_

"I demand you to tell me! Right now!"

_**You will not make demands of me, human! Look at yourself! Why do you think you feel pain when you make others feel pain! Look at yourself!**_

"I said tell me now, you idiot!"

The voice was gone, leaving an agitated and angry Akito. _What the hell does it know? It's a stupid parasite that depends on me! _

But there was some feeling inside of Akito. A feeling of warmth that was unfamiliar. The feeling would stay with her for a few hours. The warm feeling confused her so much; she didn't yell at or hit anyone. She even unconsciously thanked the person who brought her food. And she didn't feel any pain during those few hours, even without her medicine.

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><p>I went as a date to my friends prom this year and that basically how it went. (Though i acted like Hannah at the party haha) And no, TohruKyo do not do anything other than make out. Uo & date were drunk incase you didnt get that. Taylor should be in future chapters, maybe. Idk, Yuki inlove? Anyone want that? Anyways, goodbye readers. :)

And hey, why dont you go out and tell that person who youve been thinking about, that youve been thinking about them? What do you have to lose? Nothing! But you could gain alot of happiness. Thats how i met my boyfriend! :D

:)


	15. It's A Cat Thing

School is ovvvvver :D ! And to celebrate, here is a new god damn chapter! Oh, and check out my other story about Fullmetal Alchemist. Its called" Journey to the End of My Life". Its really good. Trust me.

-Im here to enkindle courage.

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><p>"Yuiki! Taylor! Wait up!" Kyo yelled as he ran down the sidewalk toward the handholding couple. Since prom, Yuki had asked Taylor to be his girlfriend, to which she ecstatically said yes to. But before he had done that, Yuki had gone to Akito and dealt with…torments… to get his permission to tell Taylor the family secret. Yuki had allowed Akito to abuse him for a whole 4 hours, until Akito collapsed out of exhaustion. And being this tired must have affect his judgment and he muttered that Taylor could learn the secret. Yuki stumbled out before Akito could change his mind about the whole ordeal. Upon learning about the curse, Taylor hugged Yuki. 'Just to test'. She laughed and hugged him more and she was happy he told her. She told him that it now made sense why he would never hold her or cuddle with her. She had been scared that he hadn't liked her that much. So she just repeatedly told him how happy she was. Yuki was honestly surprised at her reaction. He thought she would scream and run away, but she had accepted him almost as fast as Tohru had. Yuki couldn't believe that such an amazing girl had fallen in love with him. Taylor was like Tohru, but had more qualities that he liked. Taylor was beautiful, determined and extremely ambitious. She could take a joke and deal them out. She wasn't stuck up or arrogant. He'd also witness times where she had stuck up for someone she didn't know and showed a lot of kindness. She could get bossy at times, but would soon realize how she was acting. She can cook as well as Tohru can too! She's also an athlete and an honor roll student. Did he mention that she was beautiful? With her knowing the secret, Tohru and her quickly became good friends and would share private jokes making fun of the men in the house. And by being Tohru's friend, you'll also become Uo and Hannah's friend. They four began to eat lunch together and have sleepovers. Everything was perfect in their lives.<p>

"What's up, orange top?" Taylor laughed.

"You need to stop hanging out with Uo. And have you seen Tohru anywhere? I couldn't find her after school.

"Um no, I haven't. But I think I heard her say that she had to rush for work right after school because someone called in sick. I guess it slipped her mind to tell you." Yuki answered him. _That's not like Tohru to not tell people things. I guess something else was on her mind. Huh._

"Shit. Well, can I walk home with you guys? I got nothing better to do." _I can't believe she didn't tell me! I saw her last period and then the bell rang and she was gone! What the heck has gotten into her. _

"Yeah, sure Kyo." Taylor answered. _Well, if Tohru is working, that means the boys will starve if I don't make supper. Maybe we should stop at the market so I can pick up some stuff for dinner. Soup? Salad? Meat? Ugh, I hate you for working, Tohru. _

"So we're stopping at the market so I can get food for dinner. That all g?" Taylor wasn't really asking.

"Taylor, stop hanging out with Uo." The boys said in unison, which caused everyone to laugh.

As the trio walked by the cars whizzing by, Kyo started to get a strange feeling in his gut. He stopped walking. The other two turned to look at him.

"Something wrong?" Yuki asked.

"Its weird. I feel like something bad is gunna happen. But I can't tell what." _I don't get this feeling often. What the heck? I get it if I'm with Akito or fighting someone. I'm having fun right now, why am I getting it?_

"Rain isn't all that bad, Kyo." Taylor smirked. But she was on to something, the clouds were getting dark and began to threaten of spilling.

"Its not that! Well, its not all that!" And then a crash came from above. Thunder. Then the downpour started. Luckily, they had all expected this weather and brought umbrellas. _I hate the god damn rain! Who needs it anyway! Well, farmers. And animals. And I guess we need to drink water too. Whatever! _They proceeded on their way. Kyo, however, began to feel more and more uneasy as they walked toward the cross walk. Just before he was going to yell of frustration, Kyo got a sense that said. "GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE". Kyo grabbed the two people in front of him and shoved them back onto the sidewalk and fell beside them.

"What the fu-"Yuki yelled until he was interrupted by honking. A car sped by where they had been standing and crashed into the light post beside them. The light post then landed right where the three of them had been.

"How…how did you know?" Yuki looked at Kyo, completely shocked. _What the hell? Since when can he tell the future?_

"Well, I don't know. Survival instinct?" Kyo answered. _That feeling… it saved us. Holy shit. _

"Well, it's a good thing the cat has that trait, or we all would be dead. Dead... Oh no the driver!" Taylor jumped up and ran to the car. Just as she got there, the man came out, unharmed.

"Oh my god, are you kids okay? My tires couldn't get traction and I spun out. Are you okay? I saw something orange moving fast, so I knew there were people there. Did I hit them?" The driver looked near tears.

"No sir, I'm okay. I managed to pull us to safety before you hit us." Kyo answered, still sitting on the ground.

"You must have some sort of speed to be able to get out of the way, kids. You should be thankful that you have such good luck. I wish I did. I mean, look at my car!" The driver was almost into hysterics but Taylor proceeded to calm him down.

"You know, Kyo, I'm really glad you have the cat curse right now. You really saved our lives. Thank you. I'm going to tell everyone." Smiled Yuki. He was happy that he could tell everyone this. _They'll think he's a hero! Maybe Akito might even think that…_

"No it's okay." Replied Kyo as he got up and helped Yuki up. And with that, Yuki and Kyo went over to Taylor to try to calm the driver and wait for the tow truck to move the car. _Whoa, I survived because I'm the cat? What kind of messed up craziness is that. At least the others are all right. I'm really glad that they are okay. I don't know what I would do if they got hurt. So, thanks, spirit cat guy, or whatever. I owe you one. _

**Two**

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><p><strong><strong>Ohhhhhkay. So kyo is totally physic beteedubs. jk. Its a cat thing. And seriously! Check out my other story. Love you guys 3

:)


	16. Fight For It

****So the next 3 chapters are the conclusion. They were one big chapter, but then i split them all up for easier reading. Its been a blast guys. Thanks for sticking with me.

-I'm here to enkindle courage.

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><p><strong>You know, this is why you are so lonely. <strong>

"Shut up."

**By being cruel and mean to them all, is why they hate you and fear you. If you become nice to them, they wont hate you. **

"Shut the hell up"

**By doing this to Kyo today, you will never be happy or not lonely. Locking him up won't make you happy, it never has. Making them all suffer will not make your suffering less. **

"I said shut the hell up!"

**Give him a chance to live. Let him show you everything that he has in his life. All of his happiness and friends. Everything! He could be happy and grateful you gave him that chance and so would everyone else. And then no more pain. Think about it, don't be stupid. **

"I said shu—. "Silence filled the air in Akito's room. She walked over the window in her room and looked out of it. _No one would have the courage to face me. I've already destroyed them too much._

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><p>Graduation is supposed to be one of the best days of peoples lives. So why was the Sohma house dead silent that morning. Why was Tohru holding back tears of sadness all day? Why was the family giving Kyo a pitied glance when they saw him? Because at midnight tonight, Kyo was to be locked away for the rest of his life.<p>

The day went by too fast for everyone's liking. The ceremony was boring. Hearing names being called for a few hours is extremely boring. When Kyo had walked up to receive his diploma, he had to hold back bitter tears. Sadness filled him. Hopelessness consumed him. He would never again be able to see all of the people he loved. Everything he had ever done, was done in vain. Tohru tried to talk to him numerous times but he couldn't find the strength to say anything. Yuki had gone up to him and hugged him, which slightly shocked them both. At the ceremonial dinner, all of the other Sohma's went and hugged him and said goodbyes. Each touched Kyo, but the dead expression on his face never left.

"We love you, Kyo."

"I wish we could change this."

"I'm sorry."

It was Shigure who said something more personal first.

"Kyo, you are an amazing man. I've had the privilege to watch you grow these few years and have come to love you like a little brother. You inspired me over and over with your determination and selflessness. I want to be a better person because of you and—" His voice faltered but he gained composure back and held his tears in. "And I will never forget you or everything that has happened. You will always remain that terrorizing boy who destroyed my house whenever he could." He laughed, but it was empty. "I'm sorry we couldn't save you. Akito made sure to watch me after our friendship became obvious. I'm so sorry." Tears fell from Shigure's eyes as he hugged Kyo, wanting to never let go of the boy who changed his life to the core. "Goodbye, my friend." And he walked off, letting Yuki speak.

"Kyo, I hated you unfairly for a long time. And I'm sorry for that. I'm glad that this past year, we have gotten past that childish thing. You have become a brother to me. A brother I want to kill sometimes, but a brother still. Without your courage to be with Tohru, I would never have found Taylor. Thank you for that. I wish that we could change this, but Akito has never been one to change his mind. I will… I will never forget you. Nor will I forget anything that you have ever done for me. You do not deserve this and I will continue to fight for you" He smiled at Kyo one last time before walking off. Tohru approached him. He couldn't even look at her.

"Please look at me, Kyo. Please let me look at you." He could barley look into the red eyed Tohru with tears streaking down her face. But she smiled. "I want you to know that I love you more than anything in this world, Kyo. You have helped me more than you can ever know. I became more confident and ambitious because of you. I stopped allowing anyone to just walk all over me. You showed me that I could speak my mind and let people know what I'm feeling without fear. Thank you. You made me into a better person. I love you and never want to see you look so defeated. Please Kyo. Why are you just accepting this? Haven't you always told me to fight for myself? To speak up for myself? Why are you silent? Fight this! I know you can." Kyo's expression changed. And it changed back into the one from the roof where he told her of his master so long ago. A determined expression. "Fight, Kyo. Don't just roll over and die. I fell in love with a fighter." Kyo looked at her with burning determination. And she smiled, the tears stopping. She watched as he marched up to where Akito was sitting, passing by the other zodiac members who watched in awe. They parted for him and allowed access right up the middle.

He approached Akito without fear and stood in front of him. Yelling at him, Kyo shouted. "If you think I'm going without a fight, you can fucking forget it. I have fought too long and too hard to be pushed over by a little brat like you. I will **not** be denied my right as a human. And you have **no **right to treat me like anything else." He shouted. Akito looked stunned for a moment before gaining composure. However, everyone else was too shocked to breathe. Kyo had yelled at his god. Yelled with no fear of punishment, no regret.

**And finally, Three.**

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><p><strong>Yeah, Tohru has changed. And sorry for not putting alot into Taylors development. :(<br>**

**R&R  
><strong>


	17. What I Deserve

This is really short, im sorry! But it was the best place to start and end the chapter.

-I'm here to enkindle courage.

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><p>"I anticipated this. Shigure, Hatori, grab him and throw him in the cage." Akito said casually, like he was talking about something that happened everyday.<p>

No one moved or said anything for a few minutes. .

"I **said **grab him and throw him in the cage." Akito shouted at them.

" I heard you. And no." It was Hatori, the most obedient zodiac member who answered him, just as casually as Akito first asked him. Hatori checked his finger nails and barley glanced up at the person yelling at him.

"If you want him in that cage, you do it yourself. I'm done following a child's orders." Shigure added looking up at the clouds. _Ha, that one's a rabbit_. Silence followed and Kyo's eyes filled with tears. _They… won't do it? Why?_

"Fine! Ill do it myself! Get out of my way!" Akito shouts as he gets up.

"You have to go through me!" Yuki yelled and pushed Kyo behind him and stands square in front of Akito staring him straight in the eye.

"And me!" Shouted Kagura.

"Count me in." Voiced Hatori. Soon, Akito found herself looking at all of the members of the zodiac in front of her.

"And you know what Akito? You have to go through the human too." Taylor stated walking in front of them all.

Tohru was last to go, only because she was too shocked at everything. Gathering her courage, she walked to the front of the group.

"You will never lay your hands on him, or anyone else, ever again." She said with as much determination as she could. But what surprised everyone more, was that Akito began laughing. Laughing hard.

"You… you think that I care what you say?" He laughed at the group.

"I am god! And you will obey me! **Move!" **Taylor and Tohru stood their ground, but all of the others looked like they were battling their bodied. _So this is the power of god. He is able to control them. That is incredible. But no one is moving yet. _Tohru thought.

Akito was surprised to see them all fighting so hard against her will. _What? This has never happened before. _

**That is because for the first time, they have courage. They are fighting against their other animal souls. The humans are fighting. They will win and you will be destroyed. **

_What! No! That cant happen! Tell me how to stop it! _

**Give Kyo the right of freedom. He has shown you the impact he has made on everyone. You will be defeated. Now is the only chance you will have to leave this unscathed. Give freedom! **

_Never!_

**Then you are God will fall to his creations.  
><strong>

"Stop!" Akito shouted and the zodiac members, excluding Kyo, collapsed with exhaustion. "Why do you all fight for him!"

"Because he is my friend!"

"Because he would do it for me!"

"Because he saved my life!"

"Because I love him!"

So many more came from the mouths of the fallen members. Answers that surprised Akito and some that surprised Kyo.

"No. No one will fight for me. I will fight for myself! I deserve freedom! I will have it! It doesn't matter that I am the cat! It has given me friends, it has given me skills to survive, it has given me so much that I do not hate it! I will live my life as me! I have learned so much in my life and I want to keep learning. I want to stay alive. Before I wanted to die all the time. Then I met Tohru. She changed everything about me; she taught me that people can love someone who is cursed. Even when I got sick, she never pried; she was just there for me. I got sick because I hated myself so much. I wanted to die and leave my hell. So my other soul, the soul attached to me, living inside me, decided that it would leave me. But then she came into my room and saved my life. She loved me for no reason other than because she did. She made me feel human! She fixed everything that **you **broke; everything that **you **destroyed. She fixed me! So no, no one will fight for me. She has fought to fix me enough and so has all of the other. No. Now it's my turn. I will fight for everything that I have been given. I will fight for the memories; I will fight the happiness; I will fight for them; but most importantly, I will fight for myself!"

"They fight because they are your friends. You fight because you do not hate yourself. You fight with courage. I wish I had that courage." Akito walked over to Kyo, who had fallen to his knees and kneels with him. The next move made Kyo flinch but out of surprise, not fear. Akito hugged him. And what surprised Kyo more, was that he found himself hugging back the person that had tormented and scared him for his whole life.

"You have shown enough, cat. You're free."Kyo suddenly felt light headed and dizzy. He looked at Akito, who was now crying. Which was a shock on its own. And then without a sound, Kyo slumped to floor, eyes open and lifeless.

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><p>There is only one chapter left! Keep reading!<p> 


	18. Friends, Appreciation, and Courage

Well, here we are. The last chapter. It's been a hell of a ride. I hope you guys like my ending. I think it suits the story.

- Im here to enkindle courage

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><p>Gone. He looked around his surroundings. He was gone from the ground in front of the Sohma table. Pure white surrounded him. Fear struck him immediately when he saw nothing in sight except for more white. <em>Am i blind? No, i can see my hands. Does that mean... Am I dead?<em>

"No, Kyo. You are not dead." Kyo turns around to find an old man standing behind him. The same old man who had first spoken to him in a dream. The man with bright orange hair and a wiry smile.

"You…It's you! The old man from my dream. You're the cat soul attached to my own soul!" Kyo backed away slightly from the man in front of him. "Why am I here? Where is here?"

"So many questions. But none are the right one." The old man smiles at Kyo. "You haven't realized it yet, Kyo? I think you have but you're in denial. You just can't believe it yet."

"Realize what?"

"You felt it right when Akito said those words. You knew almost immediately. What did he say? And what did you feel?" The old man continued to smile at Kyo and stepped closer to him.

"Akito said i was free. So weird, I guess. Lighter? Like I was carrying something heavy, but then it disappeared. What the heck does it all mean?" Kyo, in turn, takes a step back from the man.

"There we go. That's the right question. What does that mean, Kyo?" A step closer.

"That I'm allowed to live outside of the cat box?" A step back.

"And?" Closer.

"And what?" Back.

"Huh, I guess I really do have to spell it out for you. Your soul is young, but I figured it would get it." Closer. "Why do you think you feel lighter?" Kyo steps back again. "You feel lighter because your body is carrying less inside of it. The other soul, my soul, has been able to release you." Closer. "Kyo, you are completely free. No longer do you, nor anyone else, have the zodiac curse." Kyo stays frozen.

"Why am I free?"

"Remember when I told you that you had to realize things before you would be free?" Closer.

"Yeah."

"You figured them out." Closer.

"What?"

A sigh comes from the orange haired man.

"You truly are oblivious. Before the strings connecting our souls could be snipped, the cat soul, my soul, must be thanked by the host, your soul, three times. You thanked me, truly thanked me, for three things that I was able to give you in this life." Closer. "Friends that truly cared about you and enjoyed your company; ones that looked past the curse and saw the person behind it. These people would need to make you glad and make you see that the curse did not only cause pain; people who would help you when you are hurt; people who could carry you when you fall; people who want the best for you. People that could make you happy about who and what you are. Without being the cat, you would never have met Tohru, who in turn, introduced you to new friends that you may have never have gained otherwise. She looked past his curse and saw the boy behind it. You had found the one person who is the gate way to the world around you. And everyone who loved you, stood by your side in the very end. You thanked me for being there." Closer.

"Appreciation for the gifts that this 'curse' has given you. You must be able to see all of the good qualities that you are blessed with. Speed, strength, willpower, all these things must be looked at and observed by you. You must realize that without these qualities that you would not be who you are today and would not be where you are. By saving the lives of the friends you have gained, you saw that without you re senses, they would have been injured or killed. You thanked me for being there." Another step closer.

"And finally courage to look at your enemies and have the strength to fight a losing battle. Being born the cat, the being usually accepts defeat immediately. To have the strength to continue on toward you're impending doom, gave you the ability to beat you're doom. You must look past all of your faults, see yourself for who you are and fight for yourself; not anyone else. You must see that you, yourself, are truly worth fighting for, even if it looks like defeat. You had the courage to stand up to god, herself and kept fighting. You would not allow yourself to be beaten. You saw yourself as a person of note. You saw yourself a person with character. You saw yourself; your whole self, worthy of freedom. You beat Akito with your determination and courage to fight the known, to fight the impossible. And you thanked me for being with you; every step of the way." He took a step closer and now was only a foot away from Kyo.

"So now, Kyo, you can live your life as it should be, as a human." And before Kyo knew it, the man had turned around and started walking away.

"Wait!" Kyo yelled at him. The man turned his head back, a little confused.

"Yes?"

"Thank you. Thank you for everything." Kyo bowed and the man smiled.

"No, Kyo. Thank you. Thank you for allowing an old soul finally being able to rest." And the man turned back and continued walking until he was far from Kyo and turned to wave, before disappearing into the white. The white slowly started to fade to black.

Kyo opened his eyes to see Tohru crying on his chest and his family surrounding him as he lay on the floor, they were also crying. Akito has his head resting in her lap as she cried. _God herself? That means Akito is a woman? How the hell did that go unnoticed? _ Realizing he was awake with his eyes, Tohru stopped crying and looked shocked. But before she or anyone could say anything, Kyo wrapped his arms around her and hugged her into his chest. Nothing happened. No poof, no cat. Just silence. _Finally. Finally i can hold her in my human arms._And then, there were laughs and tears of joy that were shared with everyone in the area.

And so ends the tale of how freedom came to the prisoner. How the cursed became uncursed. Kyo finally realized that his true cage was not Akito or anyone else. The true cage that he had been afraid of his whole life, for all of his many lives? His true cage?

Well, my friends. His true cage had always been himself.

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><p>Whoa. Its over. Thats pretty crazy. It's been great guys. Thank you all for reading this and for making reviews. Thank you for giving me the courage to write something that i originally thought was silly. Thanks for everything you guys. I hope this story inspires you do something good. If you have the power to do good, you have the obligation to do it. Thanks again for everything. I've started working on some other stories that are not getting enough love :P You guys should head over and definitely let me know if they're any good. Thanks!<p>

-Accendo Animus.


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